It's Been a While
by VineWolf12548
Summary: Hermione and Harry have been best friends their entire lives. They've always shared the same friends and the same enemies. But what happens when Hermione comes home after spending 4 years in the US and finds out that the person she once thought was their mortal enemy is now her best friend's new best friend? HermionexDraco. AU, all muggles. Rating subject to change
1. Chapter 1

**Summary**: Hermione and Harry have been best friends for as long as they could remember; they might as well be siblings. They've shared the same friends as well as the same enemies. But what happens when the person Hermione thought to be their mortal enemy becomes her best friend's new best friend?

**Author's note**: Alternate universe. Rating is subject to change. I gave Mr. and Mrs. Granger names.

_It's Been a While_: Chapter one

Hermione's POV

"Thank you for the amazing dinner, Mum and Dad. I really didn't deserve tickets to the ballet AND a fancy, expensive dinner."

My name is Hermione Jean Granger. I'm twenty-one (almost twenty-two) years old. And I am so happy to say that I have just graduated from college with a degree in business.

"Oh, Hermione, you deserve the absolute best," Mum waves her hand as though she is trying to shoo my preposterous idea away. "You've worked so hard. We are so incredibly proud of you and your accomplishments."

"Are you ready to finally go home? It's been a few years since you've seen everyone." Dad adds.

"Four years… I can't believe I haven't been home in four whole years. I wonder how different everyone is…" I'm a little nervous thinking about seeing everyone.

"They shouldn't be that different. Harry will always be your best friend. Lily and James haven't changed a bit since we were young, so I don't see how they could have changed much in four years." Dad attempts to soothe my anxiety.

"I don't know, Dad. I've been a horrible friend to Harry. I've barely kept in touch with him while I was here… It was just so hard with the time difference and all the school work and everything… I hope he doesn't hate me for ignoring him. Well, it wasn't like I was trying to ignore him. I just didn't have many chances to actually speak with him… We've exchanged emails around the holidays and birthdays, but that's about it. I don't even know if he's graduated yet!" I'm rambling.

"Sweetheart, calm down. Harry could never hate you. He probably feels just as horrible for not being able to stay in touch with you. He was probably swamped with school work just as much as you were." Mum squeezes my shoulder.

"I suppose you're right. Well, we won't know until we see them, I guess."

"That's very true. You really have nothing to worry about, though. We should get home and finish packing. We have a long trip tomorrow." Dad places a tip for our waiter on the table and we leave the restaurant. We get in the car and start to make our way home.

For the past four years, I have been living in New York City. Why have I been living here, you ask? Well, let me explain. I was born and raised in London, England. But during the fall of my senior year of high school, my parents had to move here because of their jobs (they're dentists). They didn't have the heart to make me leave London since I had just started my final year of high school. Obviously they couldn't leave a seventeen year old to live by herself, so they asked the Potters to take care of me and they were kind enough to allow me to live with them. The Potters are our oldest and dearest friends. mum and Dad grew up with Lily and James; their friendship has endured the years. Lily and James' son, Harry, is my best friend in the entire world. I love Harry as my own brother.

I was grateful that my parents were letting me finish my senior year, but I hated that I never got to see them. They visited during Christmastime and they made it to my graduation, but I couldn't handle the distance. Sure, I made it without them for almost a year, but they weren't sure how long they would be staying here… So I decided to attend college here so I could be with them. I loved living with the Potters, don't get me wrong, but I needed my mum and dad. Life wasn't the same without them. A week after my high school graduation, I left London with my parents. And so, I spent the summer before my first year at college in New York City. It was a difficult adjustment, but the city has grown on me. They don't call it "the greatest city in the world" for nothing.

We pull up in front of our building and get out of the car. My dad hands the keys to the valet then walks over to me and puts his arm around my shoulders. "I know you're worrying about Harry, so stop it. Nothing could ever change between you two, I know that for sure." He bends down to kiss the top of my head. We make our way through the doors and wait for the elevator. On the way up to the seventh floor, I try to convince myself that Dad is right and I have nothing worry about. But the elevator trip is not nearly long enough for me to do so. I mindlessly follow my parents to our apartment door and I sort of wander off to my bedroom in a trance. My mind is filled to the brim with anxiety and I'm not doing a very good job of calming myself down.

I try to focus on packing all my things to distract myself. And it works, for a little while. I'm putting my books and picture frames into a box when I come across the framed picture of Harry and me. It was taken at our high school graduation. Our arms are linked and we still have our cap and gowns on. His glasses sit crookedly on his face. I remember that I had to force him to take a decent picture with me. I'm pretty sure I grabbed his head at one point to make him face the camera. I stare at the picture for a long time. Does Harry still look like this? No, he couldn't. This was four years ago. He HAS to look somewhat different. If anything, he has to look older. What if he gained a lot of weight? Or what if he lost a lot of weight? What if he's not wearing those glasses anymore? What if he has contacts now? What if he does have contacts? Does that mean he's matured a lot? What if he is so much different from whom he used to be? Will he still be as kind as he once was? I hear that college can really change people… What if he's forgotten about me and that's why he hasn't made much effort to keep in touch. I hope I haven't changed that much. I know I look a little different… I look a little older, my hair isn't as curly, and my face has cleared up… I feel like I've matured, but I don't think I've changed drastically. Oh dear God, what if he does hate me? And if he does hate me, what if he won't forgive me? And if he won't forgive me, what will happen to our friendship?

"Hermione, dear, are you alright?" My mum snaps me out of my thoughts. "You're still worrying about Harry, aren't you? Listen to me, dear. You are not a bad friend. And neither is Harry. You both care about each other very much. You've cared about each other for twenty-one years. All of that care could not just disappear in a matter of a few years away from each other. He will welcome you back into his life just as much as you will welcome him back into yours. I know four years seems like such a long time, and when you're young it really is. But trust me. And trust your father. Everything will be fine." I nod my head feebly. "Finish packing up and get to bed soon. We're waking up very early tomorrow." With that, she kisses my forehead and leaves my room.

I put the frame in the box and do as I'm told. I make short work of the rest of my packing. By the time I'm done, I'm exhausted. I take a shower, brush my teeth, and slip on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. I quickly brush and braid my hair then slip underneath the covers. I drift off into a dreamless sleep.

When I wake up, it's 4AM. I'm running a little late. We're supposed to leave for the airport at 4:30. It's a good thing I showered last night. I debate on the clothes I want to travel in, but quickly decide that I'll just keep the sweats I already have on. I put on a bra and a shirt that I deem more appropriate. I decide to wear my moccasins for the flight because, even though it's the middle of May, the plane will definitely be cold. I undo the braids in my hair and check myself in the mirror. Ugh, my hair looks like a wavy mess. I attempt to straighten out the waves a little by brushing them out. Even at twenty-one, my hair will never, ever cooperate with me. Exasperated, I opt for a messy bun. I throw a magazine, my iPod, my phone, and my tattered copy of Pride and Prejudice into my purse, I pick up my laptop, and hurry into the dining room. My parents are sitting at the table eating waffles and drinking coffee.

"Goodmorning," I greet them. "I guess I'm not late for breakfast."

"You can never be late for waffles." My dad smiles as I sit down next to him.

"Would you like coffee? Tea?" Mum asks me.

"I'll just have some of this orange juice. Thanks, Mum." We eat in silence, mostly. Dad makes some comments about what he's read in the newspaper this morning and mum checks things off her mental checklist out loud. After we've finished eating, we clear the table. As I wash the dishes, my dad phones the the front desk and requests for some bellboys to help carry my boxes to the moving van. I leave the kitchen to see if they need my help with anything and as I'm walking to my room, I bump into one of the bellboys, effectively causing him to drop the box he's carrying.

"Oh God, I am so sorry." I apologize. I reach down to pick up the box but he stops me.

"That's alright, miss. I'm sorry I didn't see you there." He says. I look up at him. He's young. Probably around my age. And he has the bluest eyes I have ever seen. The fact that I'm noticing his eyes unnerves me a bit. I never notice boys. It's not that I've never liked anyone. I liked Harry for a short while when we were young. And I dated Ron Weasley while I was in high school, which was weird because we had been friends for a while so a romantic relationship didn't suit us well. Throughout college, I went on a few dates, but my interest never lasted that long. I guess I was a bit cruel. But I was driven to reach the goals I had set for myself and I wasn't about to let a boy get in the way of that.

I realize that I've been staring at him for a millisecond longer than I should have been. "I've never seen you work here before." I say quickly.

"Just started working here after I graduated, miss. Need to make some money to help me on my way to my future." He grins.

"You don't have to call me 'miss.' Just call me Hermione." I smile. "You just graduated? So did I. Where did you attend college?"

"I went to Columbia. History major."

"Really? I went to Columbia too! Business."

"Crazy coincidence that we would run into each other the day after graduation." He laughs. "I'm Jacob, by the way."

"Pleasure to meet you." I say.

"I'm gonna take a wild guess. You're not from around here, are you?"

"How do you know that?" I asked him, a bit shocked.

"Your accent. You are definitely not from New York. England?" He tilts his head and his blonde hair falls into his eyes.

"Oh, right." I giggle. "Yes, I'm from London. My parents came to work here, so I decided to go to Columbia so that I could be with them."

"That's a big sacrifice. Leaving everything you know and love to come to this crazy city. London is a beautiful place. Much more beautiful than here."

"London is beautiful. And I miss it dearly. But New York is a wonder. I don't regret coming to live and study here."

"I guess you're right. It just gets kind of boring, considering I've lived here all my life. I've only been to London once, with my mother. I was still little so I don't remember much. I'd love to go back…" He says thoughtfully.

"I know what you mean." I look down at the floor. "Living in the same place forever makes it difficult to appreciate it. It wasn't until yesterday that I finally realized how much I wanted to go back home." I say quietly. I sigh and look back up at him.

"Well it's a good thing you're going home today, then!" He says excitedly. He's smiling at me, but his smile doesn't touch his eyes. I wonder why. "Well, this is the last of your stuff. I should probably bring this downstairs so you and your parents can get going."

"Oh. Okay. Thank you so much for moving all my things." I don't know why, but I feel a little disappointed that he's leaving. If anything, I should feel guilty for keeping him from doing his job.

"Just doing my job, Hermione." My heart flutters a bit at the sound of him calling me by my first name. He smiles this big goofy smile. I can't help but smile back. "It was really nice meeting you." He starts to walk away. Suddenly, he turns around and says, "Forgive me if I'm being forward, but… Could I get your email address…?" He says warily. Needless to say, I'm a bit shocked because he is being a bit forward. We've only just met. But I'm even more shocked that I actually want to give him my email address.

"Oh." I laugh nervously. "Of course. Give me one moment." I head to my dad's study to grab a post-it note and a pen. I write down my name and my email address then walk back into the hallway. "Here you go." I hand the post-it to him. "I have a Facebook account, too. I rarely use it, though. My best friend refuses to make an account so I haven't had much use for it." I laugh, thinking about the argument I had with Harry about Facebook.

"Thanks." He beams. "Maybe I'll run into you again in the future. Maybe I'll even travel to London this summer! It's not likely, but I can dream, can't I?" He laughs. "Have a safe trip. I wish you well." He shifts the box he's been holding into his left arm so that he can shake my hand.

"I wish you well, Jacob. Good luck in all your future endeavors. If you do happen to be in London, contact me." I take his hand in mine and we shake. "Thank you again for moving all my things."

"Goodbye, Hermione." He says as he walks toward the front door. He called me by my first name again.

"Bye, Jacob." I call after him. I smile stupidly to myself.

"He's very polite." Mum says suddenly, scaring me out of my wits. I whip my head toward her bedroom door.

"Mum!" I exclaim, my eyes wide.

"He's handsome, too."

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Not too long. Just long enough to witness him wishing you well." She smiles. "I think he likes you, dear." I blush.

"Mum, we've only just met. Don't be ridiculous."

"You're blushing!" She snickers. "I bet he'll contact you within the next week."

"Mooooooooooooooommmm, stop!" I cover my face my hands. "Boys don't like me! Just Ronald Weasley."

"Now who's the one being ridiculous? Sweetheart, boys like you. How could they not? You're a beautiful, kind, smart, confident young woman. It's you who does not like boys! You're always too caught up in your work to pay attention to anything else." She teases. I stick my tongue out at her and laugh.

"Is everyone ready to go? We're running late, it's already past 4:30." Dad says as he walks through the front door.

"Ready." My mum and I say simultaneous. My dad smiles.

"Well, then let's go!" He says. I grab my purse and laptop from the living room. My mum walks out of their room with her purse and my dad retrieves his messenger bag from his study. We walk out of the room and before my dad closes and locks the door, I take one more glance at the place I have called home for the past four years.

We take the elevator down to the ground floor, then hurry out the doors. I say goodbye to out doorman, Stanley, as we wait for a cab. He was always very kind to me.

"Safe trip, Miss Granger. Come visit us soon." The corners of his eyes crinkle as he smiles.

"Thank you for everything, Stanley. I should be back around Christmastime." I smile widely at him and wave as a cab pulls up in front of the building.

My dad looks to see if the moving van is ready to go then he tells the driver that we can go. I watch the building become smaller and smaller as we drive further away. I turn to face the front and I put my headphones in my ears.

By the time we reach JFK Airport, it's almost 5:30. One thing I won't miss about the city? The ridiculous amount of traffic. Our flight is at 7:30. Hopefully we'll have enough time to check in our luggage and my boxes. Thank goodness I don't have too many boxes. We finally finish everything that needs to be done and we're in the waiting area by 6:55. Pretty good timing, because people have already started boarding the plane.

"Why did Dad buy us first class tickets? They're so expensive. The trip isn't even that long." I whisper to my mum.

"Another graduation present for you, dear. You really have no idea how proud your father is of you." She reaches for my hand. My dad hands one of the attendants our tickets and she ushers us through the bridge an into the first class cabin.

"Here are your seats, Mr. and Mrs. Granger." She shows them to their seats. "Miss Granger, your seat is right here." She directs me to a seat adjacent to my parents, which happens to be next to a window. I sit down and smile at my dad.

"I knew you'd enjoy a window seat." He explains.

"Thanks, Dad." I beam at him. I sit staring out the window for a while. I check my watch, it's 7:15. I look up to see the sign directing us to put on our seatbelts on flashing. The captain's voice comes through the PA system as he introduces himself and the flight attendants begin to explain emergency procedures. I listen attentively even though I've heard this spiel before. You can never be too safe. I start to feel the plane cruising down the runway.

"Are you ready to go home?" My mum asks me.

"I'm ready." I look at her and smile. Once again, I stare out the window and watch as the plane ascends into the sky. I feel my ears pop and I think about seeing everyone for the first time in four years. Ron, Ginny, all the Weasleys… Lily. James. Harry. My anxiety starts to come back. I mentally chide myself. I need to stop worrying. Harry and I will always be best friends.

It's already 7:30PM when we land in London. Goodness, I forgot about the time difference. It's early afternoon in New York. It takes us almost an hour to get off the plane and find our luggage and my boxes. We have a couple of workers helping us bring our things outside. As soon as I get outside, I see James Potter waiting for us.

"James!" I exclaim. I run into his open arms.

"Hello, 'Mione. We've missed you." He embraces me then holds me at arm's length. "You've come to look even more like your mother." He looks up at my parents.

"James, good to see you again." I move out of the way to let Mum greet him. She kisses him on the cheek.

"You look well, Mary."

"My dear friend." Dad approaches him.

"I hope you haven't worked yourself to the bone, David." He chuckles. They shake hands. "Lily has dinner waiting for you at the house. Are you ready to go? We can put the luggage in my car. The van will take Hermione's boxes." He points to a moving van parked behind his car. With all the workers that helped us take the luggage and boxes outside, it doesn't take long to load the car and the van. It's a little past nine o'clock by the time we pull up to the Potter's house. Lily's car is in the driveway and so is Harry's. But there's a car I've never seen before parked right in front of the house. A nice car too. I wonder vaguely if someone else is inside, but I don't get the chance to ask because James is already getting out of the car.

"Let's just go inside to greet them. And we can get some help unloading everything." James walks to the front door. Before he can even pull his keys out of his pocket, Lily is opening the door and pulling my mum in a tight embrace.

"Oh how we've missed you." Lily gushes. She lets go of my mum and kisses Dad on the cheek.

"We've missed you too, Lily." My dad smiles.

"Oh, 'Mione. You look so grown up!" Lily exclaims and hugs me.

"Hi Lily." I hug her back.

"Come in, come in. I bet you're all famished. Shall we eat now?" She steps out of the way to let us into the hallway.

"We'll eat just as soon as we unload the car and the van. Where's Harry?" James asks.

"In the living room." Lily calls over her shoulder as she makes her way down the hallway to the kitchen. Oh God, Harry. My anxiety comes crashing down on me, tenfold. James, Mum, and Dad walk toward the living room. I'm still standing by the front door when I hear Mum and Dad greet him.

"Harry, you look so much like your father. So grown up!" My mum says as I finally start walking to join them.

I'm standing outside the living room. I look at the floor, close my eyes, and take a deep breath. Keeping my head down, I turn into the living room just as Harry says, "David, Mary. This is Draco Malfoy." Wait what? Did I really just hear that name? My head shoots up and my eyes lock with the eyes of Draco Malfoy.

"'Mione!" I hear Harry exclaim happily. My eyes widen and I turn my head toward the sound of Harry's voice.

"Hi," is all I can manage to say. My eyes, still wide with shock, shift to Malfoy and back to Harry. Harry looks at Malfoy and back at me and I see his face fall. I see Malfoy smirk. Once again, my gaze shifts back to Malfoy.

"It's been a while, Granger." He says cooly.

AN: Already started working on the second chapter. Let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

_It's Been a While_: Chapter 2

**Hermione's POV**

"Malfoy…" I say quietly. I feel like a deer in the headlights. What in the world is going on here…? I make a quick assessment of the man before me. He's wearing a pair of straight-legged jeans and a fitted t-shirt. Black Converse. He's tall. A lot taller than I remember. But maybe that's just because I've never actually looked at him this close before. His hair is different, not as light as it used to be. His hair is also shorter and much better groomed, which makes him look older. He has a bit of facial hair, which, again, makes him look older. He's definitely not as lanky as he used to be. His facial features aren't as angular and he has a strong jawline. His shoulders are broad and muscles are toned and… I blink, not liking where my thoughts seem to be headed. "Erm…" I say to break the silence as well as to break my train of thought.

"Hi 'Mione. I've missed you so much." Harry finally approaches me. He hugs me. At first, I make no move to hug him back, mostly because I'm still utterly dumbfounded. But when I feel him loosen his embrace to look at me, I remember how anxious I was about seeing him. I pull him back into a hug.

"Harry, I'm so sorry that I've been such a horrible friend." I say into his shoulder.

"What are you talking about, 'Mione? You could never be a horrible friend."

"I could have done so much better to keep in touch with you." I pull away to look at him. "I really tried to, at first. But it got so difficult. I'm sorry." I start getting teary-eyed.

"Jeez, 'Mione, will you never stop overthinking?" He laughs. "If you think you were a horrible friend for that, then I should also be considered a horrible friend. And, honestly, I did feel horrible for not being able to stay in touch with you. But I realized that it doesn't matter if we don't talk or see each other. That could never change the fact that we're family. And you can never get rid of family, no matter how hard you try." He lets go of me and I smile up at him. He hasn't changed one bit. He does look older, though, which isn't a surprise. Thank goodness. I really do overthink too much.

"Now that we've had our happy reunion, why don't we drive down to the Grangers' house and unload everything so we can finally eat?" James says as he walks back into the living room. I didn't even notice that he had left.

My parents and I live three blocks down from the Potters, which comes in handy, considering the fact that our families are so close. To this day, I'm still not sure if they intended to live this close to each other or if it was just a crazy coincidence. Crazy coincidence… My memory of Jacob saying 'crazy coincidence' quickly crosses my mind and I smile to myself.

All of us (minus Lily) walk outside. My parents and I get into James' car and I see Malfoy get into the driver's seat of the car in front of the house. So it's _his_ car… No wonder it's so nice. Harry gets into the passenger seat of Malfoy's car. The drive to our house is short, not even five minutes. James opens the trunk of the car so we start to retrieve some of the luggage. Dad unlocks the front door and I rush inside carrying one of my suitcases. The air in the house is stuffy; Mum opens all the windows to let some fresh air in. Other than the layer of dust that has collected on the furniture, everything looks the same. I run up the stairs to my room and turn on the light. All my furniture is exactly where I left it. There's nothing in my closet or on my vanity. There are some framed pictures that I left on my desk and my dresser and there are the frames that my mum left up on the wall. On the wall opposite my door, right next to the window is a frame of my high school diploma. I look at the pictures of the people in our graduating class. I find Malfoy. Yes, he really doesn't look like this anymore.

"It's amazing that it's been four years since we received our high school diplomas." I hear a voice say from my doorway. It's Malfoy. He's carrying one of my boxes. "May I come in?" I nod slowly, not taking my eyes off him as he steps into my room. "Where shall I put this?"

"Over there in the corner is fine." I gesture to the empty corner near my nightstand. He goes to the corner and places the box on the floor. I smell his cologne as he walks past me. He straightens up and turns to face me. Never in a million years did I think I would ever see Draco Malfoy in my house, let alone in my bedroom. His lips part as if he's about to say something, but instead he exhales and closes his mouth. After what seems like forever, he speaks.

"I suppose you're wondering what on Earth I'm doing here." He sticks his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"A little." I exhale. I didn't even know I was holding my breath.

"It would probably be better if you talk to Harry about it. I just want you to know that I come in peace." He smiles a small smile.

"Really?" I tilt my head to one side. I stay quiet for a bit and I finally say, "Okay." I'm not sure what compelled me to trust what he said, but he seems amiable enough. And if he's on good terms with Harry, then I don't see why he couldn't be on good terms with me. But then again, he did call me 'Granger' and not by my first name. He used to call me that all the time, when he would taunt me. But he also didn't say it with any malice. And I do still call him Malfoy… And… Hermione, get a grip. You're overthinking again. I look up at him. We stand in silence for a while, just staring at each other. I notice that the only thing that hasn't changed about him is the color of his eyes. They are still the same shade of gray they have always been. What is it with me and noticing guys' eyes lately? Twice in one day? This is so unlike me.

"So… erm…" He starts to say something, but Harry, who walks in with another one of my boxes, interrupts him.

"Hey, 'Mione? Where should I put this?" I, almost reluctantly, tear my gaze away from Malfoy to look at Harry.

"Over here, mate." Malfoy answers for me and takes a few steps away from where he is standing. I notice how close he's standing to me. I mean, he's not standing that close, but he is standing close enough for me to reach him at arm's length.

"There are still quite a few more boxes we have to bring up. 'Mione, do you want to just stay up here and start unpacking?" Harry asks.

"I'll just dust the room and put sheets on my bed. You know me, unpacking is a whole-day affair." I laugh. Harry smiles at me.

"Very true. We'll leave you to it, then. Don't mind us." Harry gestures to Malfoy and they both leave my room. I run downstairs to grab a dusting cloth as well as a spray bottle of cleaning solution. I try to clean the furniture in my room as quickly and as thoroughly as I can. I'm so engrossed in the task that I pay very little attention to Harry and Malfoy entering and exiting the room, leaving more boxes and suitcases in their midst. I even clear the dust off the plastic cover on my bed so that I don't get dust everywhere when I take it off. I take the plastic cover off my mattress, neatly fold it, and place it on my desk. While I am opening the box labeled 'bedding,' Harry comes into my room.

"We're all ready to go." He looks around. "Now, this looks more like your room." He laughs.

"Are you trying to say I'm a messy person, Harry Potter?' I gasp in mock shock.

"Of course not!" He teases.

"I'm not quite finished yet, still have to put the sheets on my bed. Just go on without me. I'll drive over there as soon as I'm done."

"Are you sure? You know we're not going to start dinner without you."

"I know. And I'm sure. At least if drive over, my parents and I will have a car to use to drive back later."

"Always thinking, 'Mione." He taps his temple with his index finger. I laugh. "I'll let everyone know, then." He turns to leave. Then he stops and turns back around to look at me. "I missed you. It's good to finally have you back." He surprises me with a hug.

"It's good to be back, Harry." I sniff, tears falling down my cheeks.

"Don't you get all emotional with me!" He playfully shoves me away.

"Don't _you_ get all annoyed with me!" I laugh and pinch his ear. "You have some explaining to do, Mr. Potter!" I say to him, in reference to Malfoy.

"Ow! I know, I know!" He laughs. I let go of his ear. "See you in a bit. Don't take too long."

"I won't." He leaves the room. I go back to the box I had just opened and pull out my favorite bed sheets. Just as I start placing the fitted sheet on the bed, I hear my mum call to me from downstairs.

"Don't take long, sweetheart!" Then I hear the front door close. I dash to the window and see Mum, Dad, and James get into the car just as Harry and Malfoy pull away from the house. I sigh.

After I've finished placing my grandmother's quilt on top of the bed, I plop face down into the mattress. My sheets still smell like New York. I flip over and stare at my ceiling, take a deep breath, then exhale. I get off my bed and realize how hot I am in my sweatpants and moccasins. I brush a few loose strands of hair away from my face and I search for the right suitcase. I pull out a pair of shorts and sandals and quickly change out of my sweats. I take my wallet and car keys out of my purse and take another look at the picture of Malfoy in my high school diploma. Why I do it, I'm not entirely sure. I walk downstairs and out the door toward my car. I haven't driven in so long. It's a good thing the Potters live so close. My parents had asked them to check on the house as well as use the cars every now and then to ensure that they would still be running by the time we got back.

When I get in the car, the tank is half full and smells vaguely of Harry. I wonder when the last time he used it was. It couldn't have been too long ago if I can still smell him in the car. I pull out of the driveway and drive back to the Potters' house. I park behind Malfoy's car and as I'm getting out, I notice that there's a little stuffed dog in the back windshield. I walk up to the front door and ring the doorbell. Just my luck, Malfoy is the one to answer the door.

"Hi." He says, stepping away from the door to let me in.

"Hello." I reply quietly. Why is it I can never find my voice when speaking to him? I never had this problem during elementary school and middle school AND high school… If I remember correctly, we would always be arguing with each other about something…

"Everyone is in living room." He says as he closes the door. Unable to find words again, I just nod and make my way to the living room. He follows closely behind.

"Hi, everyone. Sorry if I took too long." I greet them

"No worries, dear, we were busy catching up anyway." Lily explains. "Let's eat." She and James stand up and lead the way to the dining room. James sits at the head of the table, with Lily to his right and Dad to his left. Harry always sits next to Lily when we're here, so Mum sits right next to Dad. So, of course, I'm left to sit next to my mum and across from Malfoy. We all sit down and say grace. Lily has prepared an amazing meal of baked chicken, mashed potatoes, and steamed vegetables. I put a little bit of each on my plate. I don't have much appetite because I'm never hungry when I'm tired. The parents, and Harry for that matter, are talking animatedly about New York City. I smile and look down at my plate.

"Aren't you hungry?" Malfoy asks. I look up, still finding the sound of his voice foreign, to see him staring at me. He has his head tilted to one side and one of his eyebrows is quirked up in curiosity. He actually looks sort of… I blink the thought away.

"Not very. I'm never really that hungry when I'm tired." I explain.

"Ah. I can relate." He smirks.

**Draco's POV**

I'm feeling a bit tired, so I'm not feeling as hungry as I was before we helped the Grangers move back into their house. Still, I finish the food I put on my plate. Lily is an amazing cook. Harry is preoccupied with talk of New York, so I sneak a glance at Hermione. She's barely eaten any of the food she put on her plate, and she didn't even take a good amount of food to begin with.

"Aren't you hungry?" I ask, genuinely curious. She takes longer than necessary to answer my question, again. I wonder why. Maybe she still hates me and has harbored a grudge for all the years she's been gone.

"Not very. I'm never really that hungry when I'm tired." She finally says.

"Ah. I can relate." I smile to myself, thinking that even though I feel the same exact way, I managed to eat my food anyway. She looks down at her plate, bites her lip, and furrows her brows. Ah, there's her signature 'thinking' expression. I stifle a laugh. I wonder what she's thinking about this time. Does she ever stop thinking? We don't speak again for the rest of the meal. Harry has her attention, asking about her schooling. I pick up a few things. She went to Columbia University in New York City. She graduated yesterday. She has a degree in business. Hmm, business? Like me…

When dinner is over, Harry and I sit on the loveseat in the living room while James and Mr. Granger sit on the couch. We all make small talk. Every now and then I find myself watching Hermione. Was she always wearing shorts? I follow her long, pale legs walk from the dining room to the kitchen, helping Lily and Mrs. Granger clear the table. Wait, what? I'm following her what? I excuse myself to go to the restroom.

I splash cold water on my face and stare at myself in the mirror. What is going on with me? I know I don't hate her anymore, but that doesn't mean I should be thinking like this. I dry my face and take my cellphone out of my pocket. One new text message.

From: Astoria Greengrass  
Wed. 5/16 11:34 PM

_Hi Draco! How was your day? :)_

Shit. I almost forgot about Astoria. I quickly type a response back.

To: Astoria Greengrass  
Wed. 5/16 11:49 PM

_Hi Astoria. It was good. Had a long day. How was yours?_

Almost immediately, I get a response back. I've barely made it out of the restroom.

From: Astoria Greengrass  
Wed. 5/16 11:50 PM

_It was busy, but productive. Had a good day at work. Call me later?_

I stand in the hallway and reply.

To: Astoria Greengrass  
Wed. 5/16 11:50 PM

_That's good to hear. And I'll try. I'm still at the Potters' house._

Before I can even reach the living room, my phone vibrates again.

From: Astoria Greengrass  
Wed. 5/16 11:51 PM

_:( ok, just call me if you can!_

I choose not to text her back. I walk back into the living room; Lily and Mrs. Granger are sitting on the couch with their husbands and Hermione is sitting next to Harry on the loveseat. I sit down in the armchair next to the couch. Surprisingly enough, Mr. Granger turns to face me. He asks me about my schooling – University of Oxford with Harry. What I majored in – business, like Hermione. If I've been to New York – not yet. If I would like to go to New York – I would love to. He asks me a lot more things about myself. And so I do the same with him. I find out that working in New York is much more different than working here, it does not rain in New York as much as it does here, the traffic in New York was a lot to get used to, and many other things. Mr. Granger is very kind and I take a liking to him immediately.

Amidst my conversation with Mr. Granger, I involuntarily look in Hermione and Harry's general direction several times. And every time I glance over, I notice something new. For instance, I noticed that she has her legs crossed underneath her. I also noticed that strands of her hair have fallen out of her up-do and frame her face. I noticed that her cheeks are pink from laughing. And I noticed that her bottom lip is fuller than her top lip. My lips part and I hear my sharp intake of breath. I blink my eyes rapidly and turn my attention back to Mr. Granger talking about a patient he once had.

It's a little after 1 AM when I decide it's time for me to leave. I tell Mr. Granger that I have work in the morning so I have to get going.

**Hermione's POV**

As I clear the table for Lily, she asks me questions while she washes the dishes I hand to her. Did you enjoy your time in New York – yes, it was an amazing experience. Did you miss us – of course I did. Did you make a lot of friends – I made some friends, none of which I'm really close to. Do you have a boyfriend – no. I fail miserably to hide my chagrin when answering that question. When the three of us enter the living room, Harry is sitting on the loveseat alone and James and Dad are sitting on the couch. Mum and Lily join them and I go sit next to Harry.

"Where's Malfoy?" I ask him as I sit down.

"He's in the restroom. And you know, you don't have to call him Malfoy anymore. He has a first name."

"Ah, I know, I know." I sigh. "It's just… odd. It's odd thinking that you two are on such good terms with each other. Odd thinking that he helped my family move back into our house. Odd thinking that he was in my bedroom earlier. And even more odd thinking that he's actually being nice to me. We're supposed to be sworn enemies. All we did was tear each other apart for as long as we've known each other. You two would not have anything to do with each other four years ago. Now he's calling your parents by their first names." Just then, Malfoy walks back into the living room. He's placing his cellphone back into his pocket. I realize that I've probably taken his seat, but he says nothing and sits down in the armchair next to my dad.

"Please, 'Mione. Give him a chance. He's a good person. I'll explain more tomorrow, I promise. I couldn't possibly talk about him while he's right there. Are you insane?" He laughs at me.

"Shut up, Harry." I laugh with him. We begin to catch up on four years-worth of our lives. I learn that he did in fact attend Oxford like he said he would. I also found out that Malfoy had gone to Oxford as well, but I didn't question further, knowing well that he wouldn't answer anyway. I'll save that question for tomorrow.

I found out that they graduated last week. Harry earned a degree in history and he is planning to continue his studies so that may earn a Ph.D and become a college professor. He tells me about some of the crazy people he's met at college. He updates me on the Weasleys. Apparently they're on a family vacation. He says Ron is still the same old Ron; always eating, always sleeping. I can't help but burst out laughing at that. He tells me that he's been on a few dates with Ginny, which surprises me.

"Little Ginny Weasley?" I gasp, my eyes wide with shock.

"She's not so little anymore, 'Mione. She'll be graduating from Oxford next year. She's studying nursing."

"Is she really?"

"She really is!" Harry exaggeratedly mimics my expression and voice.

"Harry, stop making fun of me!" We both laugh uncontrollably. He asks me about what I've been up to. I tell him about New York, Columbia, my classes, the people I've met, the food, any anything I could possibly think of.

"So have you met an all-American boy that you're madly in love with?" He bats his eyelashes at me. I shove him playfully, not that it fazes him much.

"No, Harry, I have not met anyone." I roll my eyes.

"I'm sure you've gone on some dates, too."

"Well, yes, I have… But I wasn't truly interested in _any_ of them!" I remember Jacob. "Well…"

"'Well'…? What do you mean 'well'?" Now it's Harry's eyes that widen with shock.

"Well…" I start to explain, but I am interrupted.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, but I need to get going, everyone. It's getting late and I have work in the morning." Malfoy says as he stands up. I watch him shake my dad's hand and James' hand. He kisses both Lily and my mum on the cheek. I stare up at him as he walks over to us. Harry stands up.

"Draco Malfoy, twenty-two years old, newly graduated, and already a working stiff." Harry chuckles and pulls Malfoy into one of those one-armed boy hugs.

"Don't be jealous that I already have a job, Potter. Not all of us want to go to school for the rest of our lives." Malfoy teases.

"Drive safe, Draco."

"Will do, professor."

"Shove it, Malfoy. See you Friday?"

"Of course." Malfoy turns to me. I realize I'm still sitting down. How rude of me. I quickly stand up.

"Thank you for your help today…" I try to will myself to say his first name, but the word won't come out of my mouth.

"No problem at all." He nods his head. I see him lean toward me slightly. Does he want to kiss my cheek to say goodbye? He had done so with Lily and Mum. My mind is in a state of panic. But he straightens and sticks his right hand out. So he just wants to shake my hand? He's not going to kiss my cheek? I feel both relieved and upset. I stare down at his hand, confused about my emotions.

"Goodnight… Dra-...' I notice his eyes widen. "Malfoy. Goodnight, Malfoy." I say slowly and shake his hand.

"Goodnight, Hermione." I feel my breath catch in my throat. He's never said my first name before. For some odd reason, I want to hear him say it again. I stand in silence and I watch Harry walk him to the door. When Harry returns, I'm still standing.

"Well you didn't make that awkward at all, 'Mione." Harry says and smirks.

"My God, that was such a weird experience." I say as I scratch my head.

"He's a very sweet young man." My mum says suddenly. Why does she always do that? "And charming."

"Very respectable." My dad adds. Dad likes him too?

"He really is. James and I were so glad Harry had befriended him. He's a good friend to Harry." Lily says. "When we found out Harry and Ron would not be attending college together, we got a little anxious. Oxford is such a large school. We weren't sure if Harry would be able to make any close friends, considering both Ron and Hermione were not around."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but is he not the Draco Malfoy that used to give you problems all throughout grade school and into high school?" My dad questions.

"The very same." Harry answers. Both my parents' faces express the same shock I felt when I first saw Draco this evening. "He's much different now. Perhaps he was never really the mean person we knew him as. Perhaps he just didn't have the right friends growing up, so that's why he was the way he was. I never thought I would see Draco Malfoy treating other people kindly. But he treats me as kindly as 'Mione does." The shock is back. I think my jaw drops from the shock. "I'll explain more tomorrow, 'Mione. I promise."

"Alright…" I mumble.

"We should probably go now. I'm sure you're all just as tired as we are." Dad says, standing up to say goodbye. Mum and Dad bid their farewells to Lily and James.

"Tomorrow?" I say to Harry.

"Yes. Tomorrow." Harry reassures me. "Call me when you want me to come over."

"Help me unpack?" I smile widely.

"Ugh, if I must." Harry rolls his eyes then smiles. I hug him. I kiss James and Lily on the cheek and thank them for today. The three Potters walk us to the door and wave goodbye as we drive away.

I say goodnight to my parents and I wordlessly walk up to the bathroom. My thoughts are running wild as I brush my teeth and wash my face. I walk into my room and change into pajamas. I look at the spot where Malfoy was standing earlier and remember how he smelled when he walked past me. Before I get into bed, I look at Malfoy's senior portrait again. I curl up under the covers, my mind still racing. Eventually I fall into another dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

_It's Been a While_: Chapter 3

**Hermione's POV**

Having had a peaceful sleep, I wake up in a good mood. Habitually, I turn my head to the right to look at my alarm clock. I realize that I am no longer in New York so my nightstand is on the left side of my bed. It's already past one o'clock! Damn you, jet lag. At least I got a good amount of sleep. I silently thank the powers that be for allowing me a night free of dreams. What with the events that occurred last night, I was sure that I would have had some sort of dream… or maybe even a nightmare. I lay in bed for quite some time before I finally gather up the will power to start my day. I stretch then kick the sheets off my body. I make my trip to the bathroom. When I get downstairs, I see that the house is immaculate. I wonder what time Mum and Dad went to bed…

"Mum? Dad?" No answer. I walk into the kitchen and see a note on the counter next to a grocery bag:

_Goodmorning, sweetheart. Your father and I have gone out to run errands. We left you food so you could fix yourself some breakfast. The eggs are in the fridge. We won't be out long. See you soon. Mum x_

I smile and check the grocery bag. A box of pancake mix, maple syrup, a loaf of bread, instant coffee, and sugar. I turn around to open the refrigerator. Sure enough, there is a carton of eggs on the middle shelf. There is also coffee creamer, milk, orange juice, and butter. I run upstairs, slip out of my clothes, and take a quick shower. I leave the bathroom with a towel wrapped around my body, my hair dripping wet, and walk into my room.

"Maybe I should have looked for something to wear before I showered…" I say to myself, staring at all my unpacked suitcases and boxes. I take a bra and panties out of one of the suitcases. It takes me two tries before I finally find the right suitcase. I put on a pair of navy blue cotton shorts and a white tank top. I brush my hair and rummage through my purse. My cellphone has to be in here somewhere… I take it out and realize that the SIM card isn't compatible here. Damn. I'm going to have to get a new SIM card. Or a new phone... I laugh to myself. Like I could afford one of those fancy smartphones. If only I had a job… I sigh. I walk down the hall and go into my parents' room. At least they haven't unpacked either. I grab the landline and a dial Harry's cellphone number from memory. I'm surprised I still haven't forgotten it.

"Hello?" Harry says.

"Do you want to come over for breakfast, Harry?"

"You do know it's the middle of the afternoon, right?"

"Yes, I am well aware of that. You do know I have jet lag, right? I'm making pancakes and-" He cuts me off.

"I'll be right over." He says and hangs up. I smile and shake my head. I go back to the kitchen and start to look through all the cupboards, cabinets, and drawers. They're all filled with their respective plates, glasses, pots, silverware, and the like. Mum and Dad are miracle workers, how did they do all this last night and manage to wake up before me? I take the kettle, fill it with water, and place it on the stove. I take a mixing bowl and a measuring cup out of the cupboard and place them on the counter. The doorbell rings. I walk down the hallway and open the door.

"Took you long enough." I say to Harry.

"I would have been here sooner, but it took me a whole extra thirty seconds to find my keys." I step away from the door to let him in. We laugh as he closes the door behind him.

"Coffee?" I ask him. The kettle whistles and I turn off the stove.

"Sure, thanks." I pour hot water into two coffee mugs, place them on the counter, and retrieve the coffee creamer from the fridge. As I'm doing that, Harry opens the bag of sugar and pours some of it into the sugar bowl that he had taken out of the cupboard. I take two spoons from a drawer and hand one of them to him. We prepare our coffee in silence.

"So..." I begin to say.

"Not yet." He replies then sips his coffee. I narrow my eyes at him.

"Fine." I exhale, exasperated. He chuckles.

"You didn't finish telling me about the all-American boy that you're NOT in love with." He reminds me.

"Oh, right." I begin to measure out some of the pancake mix. Harry takes the milk, eggs, and butter out of the fridge. "Well... there's this one guy I met. He's very sweet and polite..." I measure out the milk and I put the appropriate amount of butter in a bowl. "But..." I pop the bowl of butter in the microwave and time it for thirty seconds.

"But what?"

"But I met him just recently." I start to stir the mix.

"So what? That's what going on a date is for."

"I met him very, extremely recently." I crack an egg into the bowl and stir.

"...How recently...?"

"Yesterday morning before I left for the airport." I sigh. I take the bowl of melted butter and place it in front of Harry. I gesture to the mixing bowl. He pulls the mixing bowl toward him, pours the butter, and stirs. I place a pan on the stove and start to melt a slice of butter. "His name is Jacob. He was in my graduating class. History major, like you. He works as a bellboy in the building I lived in. Probably just a summer job. We had a short conversation, barely even ten minutes..." I sigh again. I take out an empty bowl and a fork and place them on the counter I also put another pan on the stove.

"Sounds like you like him." Harry smirks, pushing the bowl of pancake batter toward me. He takes the empty bowl and fork and cracks three eggs into it.

"I don't. I mean... I don't know..." I pour some of the batter into the hot pan. I take a plate and put it on the counter, next to the stove. Harry begins to beat the eggs he just cracked. "It's not that I _like_ him... I just met him. I guess I'm... interested in him? I don't know, Harry." I flip the pancake.

"Okay, so you're interested. Did you get any of his contact information?" He joins me at the stove then pours some vegetable oil onto the unused pan and ignites the flame under the pan. I take the finished pancake out of the pan and pour more batter.

"No... But he does have my email address... And I told him I have a Facebook." I bite the inside of my cheek and flip the pancake over.

"Ugh, Facebook... I still don't understand why it's so popular." I roll my eyes at him. "Have you accepted his friend request?" He pours the eggs into the pan. I replace the finished pancake with more batter.

"It's only been twenty-four hours. I doubt he's sent a friend request already."

"Oh, 'Mione. He's American and he's interested in you. He probably sent you a friend request as soon as he got home from work." I open my mouth to argue and he looks at me, brows raised, challenging me to say something.

"I suppose it's... possible." I say, flipping the pancake distractedly. Well... Harry is probably right. Facebook is such a big thing to people in the States. He nods then turns toward the pan, folding the scrambled eggs.

"Of course it is." He smirks and places the cooked eggs onto a clean plate. I continue cooking, enveloped in my own thoughts. I should use the computer soon to check... There's a large chance that Harry is right but... What if he isn't? What if I'm getting my hopes up? Jacob does have a job and he definitely has other responsibilities to attend to. If he's busy, he probably hasn't had the time to use a computer to email me or send a friend request... I turn off the stove, finally finished cooking.

"I'll use my computer later." I say as I place the plate of pancakes as well as two clean plates at forks on the countertop. I pour some of the syrup into a mug and heat it up in the microwave for fifteen seconds. We both sit at the kitchen counter and dig into our pancakes and scrambled eggs. That's the end of _that _conversation. For now, at least. When we're done eating, Harry helps me clean up the kitchen. He dries as I wash. We get the job done fairly quickly.

"That was delicious. Thanks for breakfast at two o'clock in the afternoon." He says and laughs. "Ready to unpack?"

"Let's do this." We walk up the stairs to my room then stare at the mass of boxes and suitcases that we have to go through. "It looks more intimidating than it actually is."

"It's still intimidating, nonetheless." Harry adds.

"Okay, I'll take care of unpacking the suitcases. They're filled with clothes and shoes. You can unpack the boxes. They're filled with all my little knickknacks and other important things. Do you remember what my room looked like before I left?" I ask him.

"I think so..." He says, scratching his head.

"It's okay, I'll help you along." I smile. "We should get to work." I open a suitcase and start to place my clothing in their respective drawers. Sleepwear goes in the middle drawer of the dresser...

"This is a box of books. These go on your desk, right?" Harry asks.

"Yes, that's right." I reply. Undergarments in the top drawer...

"Are you sure all these books are going to fit on your desk?" Harry speculates.

"No, I'm not sure, actually... I bought a lot of books in the city." I purse my lips. "I suppose the ones that don't fit on the desk will have to go in the library..." I reconsider. "Perhaps all of the books should go in the library. I've been meaning to fill up those bookshelves." Harry nods in agreement. 'I think I have two boxes of books. Could you take them to the library? You can just set them on the floor. I'll arrange them later."

"Sure." Harry says as he searches for the other box labeled 'books.' Once he locates it, he picks up one box and leaves the room. He comes for the second box shortly after. When he returns, I decide it's time.

"So... About Malfoy..."

"Okay, okay, 'Mione. I'll explain." I sigh in relief. I'll finally know what in the world happened. "Well, I started school without any friends, you know that. I hadn't known Draco was attending Oxford as well, but one morning in October, I ran into him at the library."

"Harry Potter in the library? That's almost unheard of." I smirk. He narrows his eyes at me.

"Shh, do you want to know the story or what?"

"Fine, I'll be quiet." I stick my tongue out at him. He grins. We continue our work and he begins his story.

"So I ran into him one morning. We were standing next to each other, waiting to check out some books. Needless, to say I was very surprised. For one thing, it was the first time I had seen him without his so-called friends. He, Crabbe, and Goyle were always together, all throughout our school years, remember?" I nod. "Secondly, I was surprised that I had run into my sworn enemy at college. I was sure that I would never have to deal with him again. I was on my guard. I wasn't sure how our run-in would play out, so I decided not to say anything. I was even more surprised when he spoke to me first. 'Didn't know you attended here, Potter' was the first thing he said to me. And I said 'I wasn't aware you attended here either, Malfoy.'

"We didn't say anything else for a while. It was awkward, to say the least. He finally broke the silence by asking 'Where's Granger? And Weasleby? Golden trio broken up?' He sounded quite sarcastic, so obviously I was offended. I told him 'Not that it's any of your business, Malfoy, but they decided not to attend this college. Where are your stupid excuses for friends?' I was really mad, let me tell you. And do you know what he said to me next? 'Not my friends. Hopefully, they're off being stupid somewhere far away from me.' It really threw me for a loop. I wasn't sure if I could or should say anything else, so I stayed quiet. He got his books checked out and nodded to me as he turned to leave.

"I didn't plan on running into him again, so I stayed away from the library. Did my school work in my room most of the time. I ran into him again three weeks after our first encounter. Well, I didn't actually run into him... He willingly approached me in the dining hall. I was sitting alone, eating lunch and getting some work done. I didn't notice him standing in front of me. The only reason I noticed him was because he had cleared his throat to get my attention. Again, I was thrown for a loop. What could he possibly want from me now? I wanted nothing to do with him. I was trying to make it on my own in college, with the least amount of problems as possible. And Malfoy was one of those problems, or so I thought. He asked 'Anyone sitting here?' and I asked 'What do you want from me, Malfoy? Haven't we caused enough trouble in each other's lives? I don't need you to drive me mad in college, too' He just stared at me. No sarcastic rebuttal. Nothing, just silence. I was utterly exasperated. I tried to get back to my work in order to ignore him, but he just stood there for a while, not saying anything. Eventually, I looked at him and said 'Honestly, what do you want, Malfoy?'

"He sat down across from me and said 'I'm sorry, alright?' I thought he was joking or maybe I had heard him wrong. It was my turn to stare at him in silence. I tried processing what he said, but it wasn't adding up. I still hadn't said anything so he continued 'I'm sorry for the way I acted. I'm not sure if an apology will suffice and I don't expect us to be friends, after all the anger and hate we've had toward each other... But I figured I should say sorry anyway.' All I could do was nod. He got up and left. I was so confused. I spent most of that day trying to figure out what in the world just happened. This had to be his version of a sick joke. I thought about it some more. I didn't hear any insincerity in his voice, but that could have just been an act. I let myself forget about it for a week. But when I had to return my books back to the library, I remembered we borrowed our books on the same day. I wanted to know why he said it to me. So I sat in the library for most of the day, waiting to see if he would walk in. It was pretty pathetic of me, really. But curiosity was getting the better of me. I busied myself in the library for five hours and I didn't see him walk in. I thought that maybe it was a lost cause and that there was no point in finding out. If he was sorry, then that was his business. I didn't want it to concern me.

"As I made my way toward the exit, I saw him walking in. I approached him and said 'Why.' He replied 'Give me a moment.' He walked to the front counter and returned his books. He walked back to me and said 'I'm not entirely sure why. I just feel like I am.' I asked him if he had eaten yet and he told me he hadn't, so we walked to the dining hall together in silence. We got our food and sat down. He didn't say anything for a few minutes. But eventually he started talking. 'Look, I know we hated each other for the longest time. At least, it felt like we hated each other. After graduation, Crabbe, Goyle, and I had a falling out. We did not speak to each other much and we weren't attending the same college and, quite frankly, I didn't care. I started questioning myself. Why didn't I care? I spent the last ten years of my life with those two. Surely I should care about the two people I called my friends. But I didn't care.' He told me about how he spent most of the summer thinking about what he had accomplished in his life and he told me he couldn't think of a single thing to be proud of."

"But he graduated near the top of our class. Wasn't he second in our class?" I interrupted him.

"He was. But I guess that wasn't important to him. It would be important to me... It would have been nice to be second in our class." He says, placing the photo of us at graduation on my nightstand. I smiled. "Well, anyway. He went on to saying that, looking back at our grade school and high school years, he regretted a lot of it. At the time, he was very proud of the person he was. It wasn't until the first few weeks of college that he realized that he wasted a lot of his time just getting by in school, in his friendships, and everything he did. I suspect that, because he lost the people he thought were his friends, he felt alone."

"But he always has his family." I say.

"That's true. Family is always there, but you and I both know how stuck up and proud Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy are. Remember the scene Mr. Malfoy made when they announced Draco was second in our class? He was outraged. I highly doubt Draco would want to talk to his parents about how he was feeling." I nod again. "And so, after he explained all of that to me, I was dumbfounded. A bit overwhelmed by everything he told me, when I hadn't even asked him to explain in such detail. There was another long silence. The first and only thing my mind was telling me was to say I was sorry too. And so I did, much to his surprise. Believe me, I was surprised that the words came out of my mouth, but they did. He kind of smiled after I said it, which was a first. I had never seen him smile. Only smirk." He laughed. I tried to remember if he smiled yesterday. I vaguely remember that he did, but I can't quite come up with the image. Perhaps Malfoy smiling is still and extremely foreign concept to me.

"Well after that day, if we ever ran into each other in the dining hall or in the library, we would sit with each other. For the rest of the semester, we didn't say much when we sat together. Small-talk about school and our classes, mostly. We ran into each other at the bookstore a week before the new semester. I had asked him if he was also buying textbooks. We both laughed at our procrastination. We discussed what classes we were taking and our schedules. We found out we the breaks we had between classes were at the same time, so we decided to meet up for lunch on the first day of classes. And we did. There was a lot less tension and lot less silence. We still weren't completely comfortable with each other, but we were comfortable enough, I guess. I remember one day in the spring, I asked him if the only reason we were talking to each other was because we didn't have any friends. He simply said 'I don't doubt that. But I don't really see anything wrong with it.' I suppose that's the day I finally considered him as a friend.

"We got closer as time passed. Spent more time helping each other with our classes. Granted, he was the one helping me most of the time. We slowly started talking more about things unrelated to school. I think we even talked about you at some point. He had asked where you were attending. I told him you had moved to New York and he was surprised, but he didn't delve into the subject. We would meet up maybe once or twice when we were back in London during breaks. I think the first time I introduced him to my parents was the summer after our second year. My parents were skeptical about our friendship, of course, given our hatred toward each other before. But they eventually warmed up to him. I didn't take as long as I thought it would. We made a small circle of friends, but we weren't very close with them. It was good, getting to know him I mean. Never in a million years did I think I would actually enjoy Draco Malfoy's company, but I did. And I still do. He's been a good friend." Unsure of what to say, I nod. Again. We unpack in silence for a while.

"What are you thinking?" Harry asks suddenly.

"I'm not sure, Harry. I don't think I could warm up to him as much as you or Lily or James did. I just doesn't sit right with me. Our feud lasted way too long for me to just forgive and forget. Some of the things he had said were a bit scarring." I say quietly.

"I understand. At least try to give him a chance? Maybe with time, you'll come to like him too. Ron does."

"What? Really? Ron isn't one to forgive... Ever." I ask, shocked.

"Well, sort of. He doesn't hate Draco. He also doesn't necessarily like the bloke either... But they're on good terms. Very civil to one another." He explains as he plugs in the lamp on my desk.

"Well, okay..." I reply, unpacking my fourth and last suitcase.

"Well, I'm done unpacking all those boxes." He exhales loudly and sits on my bed.

"Thanks so much, Harry. What would I do without you?" We look around the room. It looks almost exactly how it used to be.

"It's not a problem at all. You know I'd help you with just about anything. And, you could probably do anything and everything without me, 'Mione, you know that."

"True. Very true." I say simply. I smirk.

"You're not supposed to agree!" We laugh. I'm placing my blouses and skirts on hangers to put in my closet when Harry says, "What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Nothing, but I suspect you have plans for me."

"The Weasleys are coming back from their vacation tomorrow afternoon. Draco and I had planned to go out to dinner and then the bar with Ron and Ginny. But now, since you're finally home, you're going to join us."

"Don't I get a choice in the matter?"

"None at all." He shakes his head and I roll my eyes.

"I guess I'll be joining you. What time?"

"Probably around six o'clock. We'll be going to this new, fancy Italian restaurant. So dress nice."

"Sounds like fun." When everything is finally unpacked, it's almost six o'clock. "I wonder if my parents are home." We walk downstairs to find Mum and Dad preparing dinner.

"Hi Harry! You'll be joining us for dinner, right?" Mum asks.

"Of course." Harry replies, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek. Harry and I set the table. And we have dinner around 6:30. Harry helps me clear the table and Dad helps Mum with the dishes. Harry spends a little more time with us after dinner. It's a little past ten o'clock when he decides to leave.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then, Harry." I kiss him on the cheek.

"Do you want me to pick you up?" He asks, stepping out of the house.

"No, it's alright. Thanks again for helping me today."

"Okay. And you're quite welcome." He walks toward his car. "The restaurant is called Felice's. Do you remember where your favorite book store is?" I nod. "It's on the same road, past the café. See you tomorrow evening." He says while he gets into his car. I wave goodbye as he drives off.

"Where are you going tomorrow?" Dad asks as I reenter the living room.

"Out to dinner with Harry, Ron, and Ginny... and Malfoy..." I really can't seem to come to terms with the fact that he's going to be around often... "And then Harry said they wanted to go to a bar afterwards."

"Ron and Ginny? You must be excited to see your other friends again." Dad asks. I smile and nod.

"All of you are growing up so fast. Drink responsibly, sweetheart." Mum says.

"I will. Don't worry about me." I reassure them. "Well, I still have a bit more unpacking to do. I'm planning to put all my books in the library."

"That's good, dear. Can finally put those bookshelves to good use." Mum smiles.

"I'll probably go to bed right afterward. I have to get up early and run some errands so I can make it back home in time to get ready for dinner."

"What errands do you have to run?" Dad asks, switching on the television.

"I just have to buy a new SIM card for my cellphone. I don't want to be going out without having any way for you to contact me. I'll probably stop by the bookstore, as always." I giggle. "And maybe I'll look for something nice to wear for tomorrow night."

"Why don't you just buy a new phone? You've had that old thing for three years already." Dad questions without looking away from the TV.

"Those new smartphones are so expensive, Dad. My phone works fine anyway. Maybe I'll get a new phone with my own money if I manage to find a job this summer."

"If that's what you think is best. Although, you know we really don't mind paying for a new phone." Dad looks up at me and smiles.

"It's okay, Dad. I'll manage. If my phone starts to give me problems, then maybe I'll keep an eye out for a new phone."

"Sounds reasonable enough." Dad nods and turns his head back to the TV, tuning us out.

"So, something nice to wear? Are you trying to impress anyone?" Mum asks conspiratorially.

"What? No, Mum! Why would you think that? Harry just told me to dress nice because we're going to some new, fancy restaurant." I babble, utterly confused.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm just joking with you. Don't get all worked up." She laughs. "However, Draco Malfoy _does_ seem to be a fine young man."

"Mum!" I gape at her. Leave it to Mum to bring up something I don't want to talk about. "Malfoy is- He's just- It's just odd, Mum. I don't know how I'll cope with having him around. Every time I see him, I see the evil little ferret I've learned to dislike all throughout our years at school together." That wasn't exactly true. He looks nothing like the evil little ferret he used to be. But it's hard to wipe out the image of him calling me a frizzy-haired freak in the courtyard that one day in our first year of high school. Or the image of him laughing at me in the library for wanting to check out several books during our second year of high school. Or when he threw crayons at me everyday during our first year of grade school. Or... I sigh audibly.

"I know that you feel uncomfortable about him. And I know it's hard to forget everything that has happened..." You have no idea. "...but if Harry could put the past behind him and give Draco Malfoy a chance, so should you. You know that Harry can have a hot head at times, but he's gone out of his way to accept this boy as a friend. Give him a chance. Try to trust Harry's judgment." Mum says in attempt to soothe me.

"I'll try." I sigh again.

"Good. Now go finish your unpacking so you can get to bed."

"Okay. Goodnight, Mum. Love you." I kiss her on the cheek. "And thank you."

"Goodnight, dear. I love you too." She smiles.

"Goodnight, Dad." I kiss him on the cheek.

"Goodnight, Hermione." He says without looking away from the TV. I walk upstairs and into the library. Sadly, our book collection is sparse. You would think that we would have books, upon books, upon books. I never actually buy books to put in here. I normally make good use of the public library. I push the two boxes Harry left on the floor toward the bookcase on the far right. I organize them alphabetically by author. Turns out that even though I had two huge boxes full of books, I was only able to fill up half of one bookcase.

"I'll definitely be making a trip to the bookstore tomorrow." I say to myself. When I'm done organizing my books, I go into the bathroom to get ready for bed. After I've finished putting on pajamas and setting my alarm clock, I slip into bed. It's a little past midnight. I remember that I haven't checked my email or my Facebook. I get out of bed and grab my laptop,

I slip back under the covers and turn the laptop on. I decide to check my Facebook first. Ninety-nine notifications? I scroll through my notifications. Most of them are photo tags from the commencement ceremony. I have one friend request. I get nervous for whatever reason. I click on the little number one hovering over the friend requests tab. 'Jacob Schwitter has requested you as a friend.' I click 'accept.' I decide NOT to click on his profile. Not yet. I sign into my email. I have a lot from the college, congratulating me on my commencement. Five emails down, I see an email from 'jacobschwitt .' Anxiously, I click on the email:

To: hjgranger  
From: jacobschwitt  
Thursday, 5/17/2012 2:36 AM

_Hey Hermione! I bet you didn't expect me to contact you so soon. Honestly, I couldn't help myself lol. Hope you got home all right. New York is the same. How's London? How are you doing? Hope you get back to me soon :) – Jacob_

If I got this at two in the morning on the seventeenth, he must have sent this the evening of the sixteenth. He probably emailed me right after work. I smile stupidly at the computer screen. I click 'reply':

To: jacobschwitt  
From: hjgranger  
Friday, 5/18/2012 12:13 AM

_Hello, Jacob! It's nice hearing from you. Our flight was fine. I miss New York a little bit. London is exactly how I remembered it. No rain yet though hahah I'm doing well, thank you for asking. How are you? – Hermione_

A few minutes later, I get another email:

To: hjgranger  
From: jacobschwitt  
Friday, 5/18/2012 12:15 AM

_What are you still doing up, miss? Isn't it past midnight there? :) Thank you for getting back to me. I'm doing okay. Just clocked out of work right now. Twelve-hour shifts are brutal. I'm making a good amount of money, though, so I shouldn't complain. I have to save up so that I can achieve my new goal for this summer. – Jacob_

How did he reply so quickly? I realized that he probably has a smartphone so he can email whenever he wants. I should get one of those phones. It would be highly convenient. I send him another email.

To: jacobschwitt  
From: hjgranger  
Friday, 5/18/2012 12:18 AM

_Jet lag is horrible. Anyway, it's good that you have a job for now! What I would do to find somewhere to work. I'm afraid I'll get tired of having nothing productive to do, after all that time spent studying in college lol What are you saving up for? – Hermione_

He replies quickly.

To: hjgranger  
From: jacobschwitt  
Friday, 5/18/2012 12:20 AM

_You should go job searching. I'm sure you'll find work soon. And what am I saving up for? I'm going to keep that my little secret for now. I don't want to jinx it :) Anyway, I'm need to catch the bus. You should really go to sleep, miss. Goodnight, sweet dreams. Talk to you soon. – Jacob_

My stupid smile widens. I close my computer, stand up, and put it on my desk. When I return to the warmth of my bed, I lay awake for almost an hour, thinking about Jacob's email and everything that Harry told me about Malfoy and about what my mum said. Jacob doesn't want to jinx it? I wonder what he's planning. Hm. I'll guess I'll find out sooner or later. I preoccupy myself with thoughts of Malfoy. I really should give Malfoy a chance. But it's so damn hard when the only experiences I have ever had with him were horrible. Jet lag is such a pain in the arse. When I fall asleep sometime between one and two in the morning, I dream of a young Draco Malfoy teasing and taunting me in the school playground.


	4. Chapter 4

_It's Been a While_: Chapter 4

**Hermione's POV**

I wake with a start. Those dreams I had last night... It was like I was reliving my past. Evil little ferret Malfoy... An involuntary shiver runs down my spine. Snap out of this, Hermione. Open-mindedness is key. You're trying to give him a chance, remember?

It's 10:15AM; I slept through my alarm! My body still hasn't gotten over this jet lag. Ah, I wanted to be awake by nine so I could leave by ten! I just wasted more than hour of my day. I'll just have to make do with the time I have. I get out of bed and leisurely make my way to the bathroom to take a shower and brush my teeth. I reenter my room and open the door to my closet. I glance out the window as I walk past it. The weather has been so nice for the past few days. Better take advantage of it. I decide to wear my new sundress. The tag is still on it any everything. It's white and it has a bright floral print on it. The dress is a little shorter than the kinds of things I would usually buy, but it was so pretty that I couldn't resist.

I pull the dress off the hanger and place it on my unmade bed. I towel dry my hair, or at least try to. I decide to wear my lacy black bra with its matching panties. I'm going to be dressing nicely tonight anyway. I sit at my vanity in my underwear and apply a bit of eyeliner and mascara. That should do it for today and tonight. I'm not a big fan of makeup. I'm not sure what to make of my hair, since it's still damp. My hair is really a hit-or-miss case. Blow-drying it could be disastrous or helpful. Air-drying it could yield the same results. I settle for a half up-half down hairstyle and it seems like my hair might actually cooperate with me today. I quickly make my bed, unhappy with the thought of leaving my room a mess. I carefully slip my sundress over my head, so not to ruin my hair. I run downstairs barefooted in search for something small to eat. No one is in the kitchen. I guess Mum and Dad have decided to sleep in for once. I check the cupboard and find a box of granola bars. As I'm munching on one of them, I write a note for my parents.

_Good morning! Left the house to run those errands. I should be home by mid afternoon. Mione x_

I leave the note on the kitchen counter and run back up to my room. I slip on a pair of sandals and place my purse on my shoulder, checking for my cellphone and keys. At the last minute, I take my pink cardigan with me just in case it's chilly. When I step outside the house to get into my car, I find that it is indeed a bit chilly. Well, it's moreso windy than chilly. I'm sure it'll get warmer as the day goes by. I push my arms through the sleeves of the cardigan before I get into the car. It's a nice enough day to drive with the windows down, but I decide against it in fear that the wind will create a bird's nest of my hair. I look at myself in my rearview mirror. My hair is dry and it falls down the side of my face to the top of my breasts in gentle waves. I smile at my reflection, happy that it really does want to cooperate today. I rummage through my purse and retrieve my tinted lip balm. The lip balm makes my lips look a little pinker.

As I pull away from my house, I look at the clock. It's 11:20AM. I still have a good amount of time to get these errands done. My first stop is the electronics store. When I walk in, I'm greeted by a young man. Well, a 'boy' is probably more appropriate. He looks as if he has just graduated high school.

"How may I help you, miss?" He asks me in manner I find a little too friendly to be professional.

"Erm, hello. I'm here to purchase a new SIM card for my cellphone. I've just moved back here from the States." I explain to him. I take my phone out of my purse to show him.

"I see! Yes, that can be easily arranged. However, would you be interested in just purchasing a new phone?" He places his hand on the small of my back in an attempt to guide me toward the table displaying all the new phones.

"No, that's quite all right." I step away from his touch. "I just need a new SIM card for the time being."

"Very well. If you would follow me to the register?" He says happily. I follow him to the counter. He goes into the back room and returns with an unopened SIM card package. I place my phone in front of him as he opens the package. With careful fingers, he replaces the SIM card in my phone. "Would you like to keep your old SIM card?"

"Sure." I nod my head. He places my old SIM card into a small plastic bag.

"Can I get you anything else, miss?" He smiles and, if I'm not mistaken, wiggles his eyebrows slightly. Ugh, what a pig.

"No. That will be all." I say, any trace of politeness I once had for the young man, gone. He hands me my phone.

"That will be twelve quid, please." He smiles. He seems unaffected by my change in tone. I give him the twelve quid. As he collects my money and prints out my receipt, he asks, "So... might you be free later tonight, miss?" He smirks at me. Or attempts to smirk at me. The expression doesn't sit quite right on his face. He actually looks a bit creepy... Nothing compared to the Malfoy smirk. Hold on, the what? Am I really comparing this git's smirk to _his_ smirk? I snap myself out of my thoughts quickly.

"That's inappropriate. I would appreciate if you didn't try to pick me up like you do with every other girl that walks into this store." I spit out at him, taking my receipt, change, and old SIM card out of his outstretched hand.

"Well, not EVERY girl. Just the pretty ones." He moves to place his hand on mine on top of the counter. I pull my hand away before he has the chance. I resist the urge to gag. "Where will _you_ be attending college in the fall?" I actually laugh out loud.

"I'm flattered you think I'm that young, but I'm a little out of your league." I walk away from the counter. "Thank you for your help." I add without looking back at him. I finally exit the store and sigh in relief. What a presumptuous little git. I laugh a little as I walk down the street toward the bookstore. My favorite bookstore. I take my sweet time scanning the bookshelves. I finally narrow my search and I walk up to the front counter with three books in hand. Lavender Brown stands at the cash register.

"Hermione Granger, is that you?" She gasps, eyes wide with shock.

"Hi, Lavender." I smile at her. "How long have you worked here?" I ask as I place my books on the counter.

"Not long, really. Just started after graduation. Honestly, I barely work here. Cho asked me to fill in for her while she is on vacation with her family." She explains. "It's a fun job, though. Quiet. The hours are good. It gives me something productive to do with my time. Anyway, enough about me. How have you been? How was living in New York?"

"How did you know I was in the States?" I ask, surprise evident on my face.

"Ron told me, actually... We've um..." She looks down at the counter. "We've kind of been seeing each other..." She admits sheepishly. I smile a knowing smile.

"Lavender, it's okay if you and Ron are seeing each other. Don't think that it will upset me. I'm happy for you two." I assure her. I see her body relax noticeably. "I've been doing really well. New York was amazing. It brought a lot of good experiences. But I've missed home."

"That's really good." She says, finally looking back up at me. "Have you seen Ron yet?"

"Not yet. I'll be seeing him and Ginny later tonight, though. I'll tell him I ran into you." I hand her my money.

"It was really nice seeing you." She hands me my bag of books.

"It was nice seeing you too, Lavender. We should meet up sometime. Have a little reunion with some of the people from our class. Maybe when Cho comes back?"

"That sounds lovely. Cho will be back at the end of July. I'll organize it!" She claps her hands excitedly.

"I'll see you soon. I come into this store very often." I laugh.

"Bye, Hermione!" She waves as I exit the store. I check the time on my phone; it's already 1:30PM. How is it I can spend so much time in a bookstore and not even notice? I walk into the little clothing boutique next to the bookstore. I look through the racks of clothes. I can't seem to find anything I like. I go into the clothing boutique a few stores down. Again, I find nothing. I try checking one more boutique across the street from Café l'Amour. I'm in the boutique for just five minutes before I leave. The clothes are so expensive! Perhaps I'll try going to the shopping mall for a bit, it's only 2:45 anyway. I'll just have a little something to eat first and I'll be on my way. I walk across the street to Café l'Amour.

**Draco's POV**

Thank God they let me out of work early today. I don't know what I would have done with myself if they kept me there for another two and a half hours. The workday was so slow and boring. I'd honestly rather have a busy eight hours... At least I know that I did something productive with my time. I step outside the building and take a deep breath of the fresh May air. I loosen my tie and unbutton the top button of my dress shirt. I slip my suit jacket off and neatly place it into the crook of my arm. It feels liberating to finally start the weekend. I take my time walking up the street toward that café I always pass on the way to work. Might as well get something to fill my stomach before I go to Harry's house. I pull my phone out of my pocket and call Harry.

"Hello?" Harry says on the other end of the line.

"Hey, mate. They let me out of work early. What are you doing right now?"

"I'm at home. Why? Do you miss me already, Drakie booboo?"

"You stupid git. And to think, I was planning on getting you something to eat."

"Food? Dear God, Draco. Have mercy on a poor man's stomach. My parents went to work and left me nothing to eat. I could very well be dying." He feigns a strangled voice. I roll my eyes.

"Alright, alright. Don't get your knickers in a twist, Potter." I laugh. "What do you want? I'm going to that café up the street from work."

"Café l'Amour?"

"Uh, yeah I guess?" I run my hand through my hair. "I had no idea what it was called."

"Yeah. Just uh... get me their soup of the day. Yeah, that sounds good. And maybe a croissant and a small coffee. And maybe even one of their muffins. And..."

"Harry, I know you're hungry, but I don't think I'll be able to buy you everything off their menu."

"Right, right... I'm just so damn hungry. Hermione fed me yesterday so I didn't have to worry about food. But today I was left at home alone and Hermione didn't invite me over so I've been living off crackers and water all day."

"I'll get you the soup and a croissant, okay? Just something to hold you off until dinner. We've only a few hours until we go out. I'll be over in a few."

"Thank you kindly, Drakie booboo." He says quickly then hangs up.

"Twit." I say to my phone and laugh. It takes me about ten minutes to walk from work to the café, if I'm walking at a leisurely pace. The café doesn't seem too busy when I get there; there aren't many people sitting at the tables outside. When I walk inside, however, I find myself standing in line. The smell of freshly brewed coffee fills the room. I look up at the large menus placed on the wall behind the front counter. Maybe I'll have a coffee. Is that odd to have in the middle of the afternoon? Or maybe an iced tea would be good. Yeah, that sounds quite refreshing actually. And I'll get one of those scones. I finally get to the front of the line.

"Good afternoon. How may I help you?" The girl at the counter says in a monotone voice without looking up at me.

"What is your soup of the day?" I ask. She looks up at me.

"Erm... It's um... Chicken and rice soup today, sir..." She stutters.

"Okay, I'll have an order of that, please, as well as a croissant."

"Would you... would you like anything else?" She stutters again. Is this girl all right?

"What flavors of iced tea do you have?"

"We have peach and raspberry... and um... we've just added a green tea iced tea to our menu..."

"I'll just have a regular iced tea, then. And one of those apple cinnamon scones. All of it to-go, please, miss."

"Sure. No problem, sir. That is... um... we've just started making a new pot of soup... would you erm... Would you be willing to wait a few minutes for it?"

"That's fine, I'll wait for it." I smile at her. She stares at me, eyes wide for a few seconds. Honestly, is this girl okay? Am I just imagining this?

"That'll be seven quid, sir." She finally says. I give her my payment and she gives me a white paper bag with the scone and croissant as well as my drink in a covered plastic cup. I step away from the line and off to the side to wait for the soup.

I decide to find a seat by the front windows and wait. I turn my head to look outside. I see Granger sitting alone at a table, reading a book and drinking tea. I smile to myself. Typical Granger. She places her book down and takes her pink cardigan off. She hangs her cardigan on the back of her chair and picks up her book. She seems to be wearing a dress. It's white and has flowers on it. Some of her hair is clipped away from her face while the rest of it falls in waves down her back and over her smooth, pale shoulders. In the sunlight, the color of her hair is just a few shades darker than honey. She crosses one leg over the other, which causes skirt of her dress to slide up, revealing more of her legs...

"Erm... Ex-excuse me sir. Your um... soup is ready." The girl from behind the counter fortunately... unfortunately...? interrupts my train of thought. I step away from the table I had been sitting at. She hands me a cardboard drink holder to carry both the cup of soup and my iced tea.

"Thanks so much." I flash a quick smile at her and head toward the exit. Before I open walk out the door, I argue with myself about how I should handle the situation. Should I say hello to her? Of course you say hello to her, you twit. Just because she refuses to say more than two words to you doesn't mean you should be rude. Should I just greet her and then walk away? Yeah, probably. She's uncomfortable around me enough... I shouldn't just... invite myself to sit with her. What would we even talk about anyway? I'll be seeing her later, right? It'll be much safer to talk to her when Harry's around. I take two deep breaths and open the door. I kind of stumble out of the café. I regain my composure quickly, hoping she didn't see me stumble out the door like an idiot.

"Malfoy?" Shit. She saw.

"Erm, hi." I cough. "Good afternoon, Granger." I walk over to her table and stand across from her. Her eyes are widened and her cheeks are flushed a light pink.

"What are you doing here?"

"I just came by after work to pick up something to eat. Harry wanted food as well." I lift my hands to show her what I'm carrying.

"I see. Harry wanted the soup of the day?" She asks, a hint of a smile on her face.

"Yeah, actually. Apparently, he's starving." I allow myself a small laugh. Ok Draco, this is your cue to leave. It was enough small-talk. She now knows that you have to bring a starving Harry his food. Just tell her that you should get going. "Is anyone sitting here?" I blurt out. What the fuck, Draco. What the fuck do you think you're doing.

"Um... no, actually... No one is sitting there." She replies. I pull the chair out, hang my suit jacket on the arm, and sit down. We sit in silence. She keeps her eyes away from mine by staring down at the table. She reaches her dainty, slender hand out to pick at her chocolate croissant. My eyes involuntarily follow her dainty, slender fingers bring the piece of croissant to her mouth. I swallow and force myself to look away. To look anywhere but her lips. When I look back at her, she's fiddling with the heart pendant of her necklace.

"That's a beautiful necklace." I comment.

"Oh, erm. Thank you. It was my grandmother's. My mother had given it to me as a high school graduation present." Her eyes finally meet mine and we stare at each other. Just as we had done that one other time, in her room. The blush on her cheeks deepens.

"So what brings you here on this fine afternoon?" I ask.

"I had to run a few errands and I got hungry. This is my favorite café."

"This is my first time here. I pass it everyday on my way to work, though. I work a short walk from here, actually." I nod my head in the direction of the work building. "What errands did you have to run?"

"I had to replace the SIM card in my phone." She pauses. "And then I had gone to the bookstore..." She adds reluctantly. Again, she looks away from me. Is she embarrassed to say that she was at the bookstore or something? Why would she be embarrassed about something like that? Oh... right... I immediately feel embarrassed for my own self. I stare down at my hands. "You don't have to pretend like you didn't hear me say that I went to the bookstore just to spare me some misery. I've dealt with your snide comments for years, I'm sure I can still take it." She mutters. Her statement takes me by surprise.

"Granger, I wasn't trying to going to give you any grief for going to the bookstore. It's _perfectly normal_ for you to go to the bookstore." Her face falls. Wait, did I really just say that? "No it's not that... it's just... I mean..." I sigh loudly. "I'm not the person I used to be. I don't expect you to believe me right away. Hell, I wouldn't believe me right away. I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable by sitting here." I place my hands on the table and start to push myself up to leave.

"I got a few new books. They seem quite interesting. And I stopped by a few boutiques on the way here." She says quickly. I relax back into the chair.

"What books did you pick up?"

"Just a few by this author I had heard about in the States. I've only read the first few pages from this book, though." She holds up the book she was reading earlier. "John Green." I look at her questioningly. "John Green is the name of the author of this book."

"I've never heard of him."

"It's alright, I would have never heard of him either if it hadn't been for a classmate." She smiles a little and I give her a smile of my own, grateful she's actually talking to me. I glance at the ground next to her feet. She only has one shopping bag.

"Did you say you went to some boutiques? Did you not end up buying anything?" I ask.

"Well, I tried looking for something nice to wear for tonight. I was not the least bit successful." She kind of pouts a bit, an expression I have never seen her use. And I find it rather... cute... a feeling I have never felt toward her. I feel my face heat.

"It's bit warm today, isn't it?" I say suddenly. I carefully roll the cuffs of my sleeves to my elbows.

"A bit. It's nice though" She looks away from me and shrugs her shoulders, which draws my attention to the skinny straps of her dress. Skinny enough that I can see her bra straps. They're black and lacy. "So, you'll be joining us at dinner tonight?" She looks back at me. Iquickly tear my gaze away from her shoulders.

"Er, yeah." I say hesitantly. Does she not want me there or something?

"That's good. It'll be fun." She answers.

"It will be nice to have Weasel and Weaselette back." I say without thinking. Her eyes widen again and her mouth is set in a tight line. "I mean, Ron and Ginny. It will be nice to have Ron and Ginny back." I correct myself. Fuck, Draco. You should watch what you say around her. She isn't used to you yet. "Granger, I'm sorry. I still call them that. They don't mind it, most of the time. I don't mean any harm when I say it now." I try to explain myself.

"I'm sorry, Malfoy. I've been acting strangely. This has been a big shock for me. Seeing you so friendly with my best friend, having you help me move back in. I suppose I'm being selfish, letting the past get the better of me. But I'm trying and I would really appreciate your patience with me. I can be a bit stubborn." Her words come much too fast and all at once. She stares at me anxiously. We sit in an awkward silence while I take time to absorb what she said. Her words finally register in my head.

"You are a lot more complex than I thought you were, Granger." I shake my head and smile at her.

"I suppose I am." She laughs and smiles back at me. A real Granger smile. The smile I see on her face whenever she speaks to Harry. Being on the receiving end of that smile actually stuns me to silence. "So have you ever been to the restaurant we're going to tonight?"

"No, I haven't. They had their grand opening on Monday. It took Harry and I hours of being put on hold to make a reservation. I've heard a lot of good things about it. Do you like Italian food?" She nods.

"I also heard from Harry that we'll be going to a bar tonight."

"As per Ginny and Ron's request. Apparently, they want to 'drink away the stress' of their family vacation. Doesn't make much sense to me, because I didn't think vacations were supposed to make you stressed."

"They're not. But with a doting mother like Molly Weasley..." We both laugh. "You said you work nearby?"

"Yeah, I do. A little less than a ten-minute walk from here."

"What do you do?" She tilts her head.

"I have a position at a business firm."

"Oh you're in business? I had no idea..."

"Yes. I majored in business." I answer, somewhat surprised that she had no idea. "I figured Harry would have told you." She blushes.

"He didn't mention it when we were talking about... Um... well, it never came up in conversation." She mumbles. "So anyway, which business firm?" Should I tell her? There's no point in lying to her.

"It's... well, it's my father's." I admit. She doesn't say anything for a while. Great. She probably thinks that I didn't have to do anything to get this job. Well, I mean, I didn't... But that doesn't mean I'm incapable of doing a good job...

"I forgot that your father owned a business. That makes sense. I wasn't aware that he had a whole business firm, though." She finally says. I sigh, relieved.

"He inherited ownership of my grandfather's insurance company. He only started branching out within the past few years... He owns a cosmetic company, solely because of my mother. He has a partnership with my Aunt Bella, who owns a publishing company..."

"Do you like working there?"

"It's alright. I'm my father's personal assistant's personal assistant. I mostly read over paperwork and file things... and type up schedules... and fetch coffee... So basically, I'm my dad's bitch's bitch. A whole lot of grueling slave work. I'm none too interested in the insurance company, really."

"Getting paid to do slave work is better than doing nothing at all. It's really good that you have a job." She sighs. "I majored in business too, you see. I'm scared that I won't be able to find anywhere to work here."

"Hm. You'll find somewhere to work soon enough. I'm sure there are a lot of places that would be willing to take you."

"I hope so." She pauses. "How were the business classes at Oxford?"

"Torturous. So much time and so much effort. I'm sure you feel the same way about your classes in New York." She nods in agreement.

"That's about right." We discuss the curriculums of our classes. We find that they were very similar. She tells me a little about Columbia and New York. After a while of talking, her phone starts to ring. She pulls it out of her purse and answers.

"Hi, Mum... Yeah, I'm fine... I'm at Café l'Amour... Mhm, I got my errands done... No, I wasn't able to find something to wear. I was just planning to going to the shopping mall for a bit... Is it really? I had no idea. I suppose I can't go to the mall... I'll look for something to wear in my closet. It's not a big deal... I got caught up at the café... No, I'm not reading... Mum, I'll explain later... Later. I'll explain later... Be home soon... Bye, love you." She hangs up and puts the phone back in her purse. "I'm sorry about that. It was my mum. I had no idea that it was almost four o'clock." I look at my watch. It's already 3:56. Where did the time go? We'd been sitting here for about an hour.

"Oh, God. I'm sorry if I've kept you from finishing your errands." I stand quickly.

"No, it's not your fault. I lost track of time just as you did." She stands and slips on her cardigan. She takes her wallet out of her purse and places five quid on the table. "Ah, I didn't finish my croissant... Why don't you give the rest of this to Harry? Chocolate croissants are his favorite." She takes the white paper bag containing my scone and Harry's croissant, opens it and places her barely-eaten chocolate croissant on top. She bends down to pick up her shopping bag. She puts the book she was reading into the bag.

"I'm really sorry about keeping you here... If you're looking for some nice clothes to buy, there's a little shop a little ways down the road. My..." I hesitate. "Uh... friend buys much of her clothing there. Says they have a lot of nice things at a good price." I say.

"Really? I have time to check it out. It's just a little further down from here?"

"Yeah, I'll, uh, walk with you. I know where it is and I left my car at work anyway." We walk next to each other down the sidewalk with a good amount of space in between us. I call her attention to Felice's as we near it. "This is the restaurant. They have parking in the back."

"Okay. Thank you." She nods and scans the outside of the building. "It's a large restaurant. Looks nice." We continue walking. A woman and her two children walk toward us and I take a few steps closer to Hermione to give the woman room to walk past. I'm close enough to touch her hand... We say nothing to each other for a few minutes. I glance down at her hand swaying back and forth next to mine.

"What is the store called?" She breaks the silence and looks up at me.

"Um..." I wrack my brain for the name... I'd only been there twice with Astoria. "I think it's called... Gigi's? I know it has a pink awning." I furrow my eyebrows.

"Yeah, it's right there." She points at the pink awning two stores down from where we are. We stop in front of the boutique. "Thanks, Malfoy." She says, turning to face me.

"You're welcome. Sorry again about using your time." I run my hand through my hair.

"It's nothing to be sorry about. It was... nice."

"It was nice." I smile widely at her. Her cheeks turn pink and she smiles back. How cute. "I'll see you in a little while, then. I should probably get this cold soup to Harry. Stupid git is probably going to yell at me for taking so long."

"You probably should. And he probably will." She giggles. "I'll see you in a bit." She turns away from me and grabs the door handle.

"Bye." I say as she disappears into the store. I walk for another few minutes and enter the employee parking lot of my work building. I get in my car, place the food in my passenger seat, and drive to Harry's house.

**AN: Nice to have Draco's POV for a while, right? Debating whether or not I should start the next chapter with his POV. I probably will. I forgot how tiring it is to write x_x**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Been having a good amount of writer's block. And I've been quite busy! Wasn't sure how I wanted this chapter to play out. Good news, though. We do start out with Draco's POV.**

_It's Been a While_: Chapter 5

**Draco's POV**

"You are insufferable, Malfoy." Harry says through gritted teeth. His eyes are narrow slits and he hasn't opened the front door wide enough for me to step inside.

"I'm sorry, mate. I don't know where the time went." I shrug my shoulders.

"Likely story." He narrows his eyes even more but he does finally open the door completely.

"Are your eyes alright, Potter? You seem to be having trouble seeing. Need a new prescription for your glasses?" I quirk my eyebrow in amusement.

"Shove off, Malfoy." He steps aside to let me in. "Give me that. You're useless." He snatches the food from my hands and stomps off toward the kitchen, which causes me to snicker.

"I'm sorry, okay? I have a good explanation." I say as I follow him into the kitchen.

"You better have a bloody good explanation. The soup is cold!" He quickly pours the soup into a bowl and puts it in the microwave. He opens the white paper bag. "Oh, a chocolate croissant!" He exclaims. "Wait, how did you know I like chocolate croissants?"

"I didn't. That's part of my bloody good explanation." I tell him while he chews on a mouthful of chocolate croissant. The microwave beeps, alerting Harry that his soup is ready. Using the tips of his fingers, he quickly moves the hot bowl from the microwave to the kitchen counter. He pulls a spoon out of a drawer then plops down onto a chair in front of his soup. He closes his eyes in satisfaction after trying a spoonful.

"Always delicious." He grins stupidly. "Not that I've forgiven you completely for your utter lack of sensitivity toward my situation earlier, but thanks for the food."

"You're welcome, I guess." I laugh.

"So what took you so damn long?"

"I ran into Hermione at the café."

"Oh really?" He starts to chuckle. "Was it awkward? I bet it was. She'll come around."

"Actually-" I begin to say.

"Wait, why did it take you so long? Wait... Did you... Did you two actually talk?" He asks, surprised.

"Potter, will you PLEASE let me get a word in?" I narrow my eyes at him.

"Alright, alright. Sorry." He puts his hands up apologetically and laughs.

"Yes, we did actually talk. And no, it was surprisingly not awkward. For the most part, at least." I explain.

"Really? That's... interesting. You were talking that whole time? It took you more than an hour."

"She got there after I did. I was waiting inside when she got there, I guess. She was-" He cuts me off.

"She was sitting outside. At the table in the right corner. And she was drinking tea and reading a book."

"Well... Yeah... Impressive."

"So THAT'S why you had the chocolate croissant." I nod. "So what happened?"

"Well, as I was saying, I didn't know she was there. Only reason I knew was because I looked out the window while waiting for your bloody soup. Naturally, I couldn't avoid her on the way out. I kind of awkwardly and gracelessly stumbled out the door, anyway. So there's no way in hell I could have dodged my way out of that." Harry looks at me speculatively. "Not that I was planning to avoid her," I quickly add.

"Awkward and graceless? Draco Malfoy doesn't do awkward and graceless."

"This is very true. But it happened. If the bloody cashier had the capability to form normal sentences and stop stuttering, maybe placing my order would have run much more smoothly and maybe I would have gotten out of that café more quickly."

"Ah, Malfoy. Rendering yet another innocent girl a stuttering mess." He laughs.

"I'm sorry that I have outstanding good looks and amazing charm." Jokingly, I stroke my chin. "Although, I'll never understand how a girl could be so daft as to ALLOW herself to become a bumbling, stuttering mess."

"Always so humble." Harry rolls his eyes. "What I don't understand is how any girl could possibly think that you're worth stuttering over." He shakes his head and stands to bring his bowl to the sink.

"Shut it." I stand to follow him as he walks to the living room couch.

"No matter how daft you think those girls are, you can't blame them for being girls. Don't pretend like you've never been affected by the presence of an attractive girl." I shake my head in disagreement. "Oh please. There is no way it's never happened. Astoria?" I pause to think about it.

"Well, I suppose..." My stream of consciousness starts to flow freely. "In grade school, I'd always found Daphne Greengrass attractive. But I hardly think she affected me all that much, especially to the point where I'm inarticulate. But I guess I would get nervous around her when we were much younger. For a while she was the only one attractive enough to hold my attention because as I got older, I got very tired of everyone in school. You're very aware of that."

"Ah, yes. The old Draco Malfoy was always great company. What about Pansy Parkinson? She seemed to fancy you quite a bit."

"Oh, God. Pansy was a pain. She would always try to talk to me. And the worst part is that I couldn't really escape her because our parents are friends. High school was the worst with her..."

"Why is that?"

"She tried very, VERY hard to get me to go on a date with her. She was relentless for three years. Every time she would suggest, even hint, at a date, I would snake my way out of it. Tell her I was busy or whatever. My nonexistent pet died three times in those three years."

"You really are insufferable, Malfoy." He snickers.

"Hey, if you had to deal with her the way I did, you'd kill your nonexistent pet three times. Anyway, I finally said yes during the Christmas holiday of our senior year."

"And how did that go?"

"A bit of a train wreck, honestly. We were late to our movie and the restaurant was horrible. And she would not stop talking. I had a migraine by the end of it. But, I found out she's not as irritating as I thought she was. Still irritating, though. I was more open to being friends with her after that. I wasn't interested in her the slightest bit, and I made sure she knew I wanted nothing more than friendship, It didn't take her long to finally and fortunately move on. And by move on, I mean she found someone else. Marcus Flint. Do you remember him?"

"Yeah, a year above us. How did that happen?"

"Flint's a family friend. We've all known each other for a while. Our date was a few days before Christmas. Flint was at the New Year's Eve party."

"Didn't take her long at all... We're they drunk?"

"Surprisingly enough, no. Flint always fancied Pansy, but she never noticed him because of me. She spent most of her time with him at the party. Flint was ecstatic. They started dating shortly after that night. But then..."

"But then...? Don't tell me she left him because she rekindled her love for you..."

"Not exactly." I sigh and put my face in my hands. "At my graduation party, we were both really drunk... And well..." I take my face from my hands to see him looking at me in shock and disbelief.

"No..."

"Unfortunately, yes... And to top it all off..." I run my hand over my face. No, I couldn't tell him that I lost my virginity to a girl I didn't even like, solely because I was drunk. That's too humiliating... Saint Potter probably lost his in the traditional way: to someone he had already established a romantic relationship with, at a time most appropriate to lose one's virginity.

"To top it all off?" He asks. I remember I still haven't finished my sentence.

"Erm, right." What am I supposed to say? I don't want to lie to him. "To top it all off, we wouldn't have remembered that night at all if it wasn't for the fact we had woken up next to each other, naked." There, at least I'm not lying. Good save.

"Bloody hell, Draco. That's horrible." He shakes his head sympathetically.

"I know. But everything is okay, I guess. The better parts of ourselves coaxed us into being honest with Flint. Pansy had very strong feelings for him. Turns out the slimy git had cheated on her, too. But he had done so very early on in the relationship, also in a bout of drunkenness. The two attempted to work things out. I think they're still together, actually. Not sure how it's going for them, though." I shrug my shoulders. "What were we talking about before I started to digress about Pansy...?"

"Attractive girls."

"Oh, right. Well, yeah. Daphne. Not Pansy. I honestly don't remember many of the girls we met at college... I'm sure there were quite a few that were attractive, I just really can't remember."

"I don't blame you. Most of the girls we met were slags. Or at least seemed to be. What about Astoria?"

"Hm..." I paused to think about it. "I suppose she affected me to some extent. I was a bit nervous the first time we met. I do find her attractive, but I don't think that initial nervousness stemmed from her striking beauty or charm or anything... I'm pretty sure I was just nervous that our first meeting wasn't going to run smoothly."

"Draco Malfoy is immune to the charms of fair maidens. What a shame." Again, he shakes his head sympathetically.

"You're very irritating, you know that?"

"It's both a blessing and a curse." He sighs dreamily.

"I'm not sure the word 'blessing' is appropriate." I roll my eyes. "The word 'curse' on the other hand, is very extremely appropriate."

"So what did you and 'Mione talk about that could have possibly kept you AND my soup away from me for almost an hour?" He changes the subject.

"Idunno, a lot of things. She was a bit awkward, at first. I said a few things that might have triggered some unpleasant memories to unhinge themselves from her subconscious."

"She really is trying to accept you. She's brilliant, but very stubborn. Give her some time." He says quietly.

"I have enough patience to last me centuries. You should know that. From all the time I spent helping you study..." He narrows his eyes at me. I smile. "We talked about our business classes and the like. She told me about New York. I told her about work. I'm pretty sure we could have kept the conversation going if her mother hadn't called her. It was... nice." I smile again, thinking about how she described our time together. "Maybe we were meant to run into each other. Maybe it was what we needed to really break the ice, to start breaking down that wall between us, you know?"

"Probably. It's really good to hear that you two are actually getting along. Like I said, she's brilliant. But she's so stubborn and she can get really confusing. She never stops thinking." He chuckles.

"Well she is Granger. I would not expect anything less from her." I chuckle a bit. "She's quite charming." Harry quirks an eyebrow at me, a hint of a smile on his face. "And really very..." I want to say 'cute', but I stop myself. I run my hand through my hair. His hint of a smile turns into a smirk.

"You're smiling." I didn't even realize I was smiling. His smirk is still plastered on his face. "And you didn't finish your sentence. She's really very what?"

"Erm. She's really very uh..." I scramble my mind for something to say. "Uh... She's really very... polite. And uh... formal with me."

"Polite and formal, eh?" His facial expression has not faltered whatsoever.

"What are you smirking at?"

"Nothing! Quite charming and really very polite... and formal. Okay." He shakes his head at me.

"What? Why are you shaking your head?"

"No reason..." He pauses. "So are you sure you've NEVER been affected by the presence of a girl?"

"Um." My mind quickly replays today as well as the day Hermione moved back in. "Er... Yeah... I'm sure." That's a lie. It's absolutely undeniable that Hermione Granger has a strange effect on me. I've felt nervous around her. I thought it was just because of my fear of ruining my chances to actually befriend her. But then I remember how I notice the littlest things about her... Like how her hair frames her face and how it's not the curly mess it used to be. Or how slender her legs are. Or the way she blushes. Or those pretty pink lips of hers... Damn those pretty pink lips and their effect on me. These are all things I shouldn't be thinking. I have Astoria... Sure, we aren't official or anything... But I like her. And I hardly know Granger.

"If you say so, Draco." He shrugs. Harry can be such an annoying twit sometimes, but he's no idiot. I'm sure he can sense something... And just like the annoying twit he is, he's not going to say anything about it until I confess to it first. "Well, it's just about five o'clock. I'm going to take a quick shower and everything. You going to wear that to dinner?" He gestures to my outfit.

"Yeah, I'll spruce up before we go." He nods then goes up the stairs to get ready. I allow myself to get comfortable on the couch and decide to watch TV while I wait.

**Hermione's POV**

As I go through the racks of clothing at Gigi's, my mind is still reeling from the alone time I had just spent with Malfoy. It definitely was not as bad as I thought it was going to be... Thank goodness. It was surprisingly nice seeing him out of his element, even for a little bit. I remember seeing him stumble out the front door of the café and I have to stifle a laugh. The conversation was so normal; I really can't get over it. And I could tell that he feels a little awkward around me, just as I feel awkward around him, which is such a relief. At least I'm not the only one. I even saw him smile genuine smiles and heard him laugh genuine laughs. I think about the way he smiled at me before he left... My face starts to warm. I blink rapidly and shake my head. I seem to be making a habit of blinking my thoughts away.

I go through a good amount of the little boutique before I get tired of searching. I take a few items to the dressing room and after some time, I decide on a purple hi-low dress with a scoop neckline and a lace paneled back. It's even cinched around the waist. This is dinner appropriate, right? I'll just wear it with heels. I take a look at my phone after I place the dress back on the hanger. It's already 4:50! I rush out of the dressing room and pay for the dress. Only twenty-five quid. That's not bad at all. I'll definitely be returning to this store. I power-walk back to my car.

When I get home, it's 5:20. I run to my bedroom and greet my parents as I pass their room. I throw my purse onto my bed and hang the dress on the back of my door. I make a quick trip to the bathroom to brush my teeth then I return to my room. My mum knocks on my door as I'm sitting at the vanity, retouching my eyeliner and mascara.

"Come in." I say to her.

"You're running a bit late, dear."

"I know. I kept losing track of time today. First, I got caught up at the bookstore."

"Naturally." She laughs. I look at her and smile.

"Naturally, indeed. And then I got caught up at the café."

"Why is that?"

"...I ran into Malfoy." I mumble as I turn away from her. I can feel myself blush and I hope to God she doesn't notice.

"You're blushing, sweetheart." Damn. Nothing gets past her. I can see her knowing smile in her reflection on my vanity mirror. I say nothing. "And how did that go?" She's still smiling.

"It was fine." I mutter.

"What did you two talk about?"

"Moooooooom. I'll tell you later, I promise. I'm running late." I whine. Her smile widens.

"Okay, okay. You're safe for now. Anywho, what did you decide to wear?" I sigh in relief, grateful she is changing the subject.

"I actually bought something."

"Oh? What did you buy?" I point at the back of my door. She picks up the hanger and holds the dress at arm's length. "It's beautiful, sweetheart. This color will look lovely on you.'

"Thanks, Mum." I smile.

"Well, I'll let you get ready."

"I'll say goodbye on my way out." She nods and leaves the room, shutting the door behind her. When I'm satisfied with my eye makeup, I slip into my new dress. After some debate, I decide to pair the dress with my nude sling-back peep-toe pumps. I fetch my nude-colored clutch from closet and place my wallet, phone, and keys inside it. I give myself a once-over and notice that I still have a few finishing touches to do before I leave. I put on the diamond stud earrings Mum passed on to me as well as the silver bracelet Harry had given me for my sixteenth birthday. It wasn't anything expensive, but he'd been so proud to give it to me because apparently he picked it without his mother's help. I can't help but smile whenever I think about the stupid grin on his face when he presented me with the poorly-wrapped box. I pinch my cheeks to give them some color and I coat my lips with a light pink lip gloss. I pick up my clutch and look myself over one last time. When I walk into my parents' room to say goodbye, they're both sitting in bed reading.

"I'm going to go now."

"Well don't you look beautiful. Doesn't she look beautiful, David?" Mum says as she gets up from the bed.

"Just like her mother." Dad answers, placing his book in his lap. I smile.

"I won't be out too late. If anything, I'll text you."

"It's alright, 'Mione, we trust you. You're old enough to go out on your own without having to worry about us." Dad says.

"You take care, sweetheart. Be careful at the bar. Don't drink too much. And if, for whatever reason, you do, make sure you don't drive." Mum pulls me in for a hug.

"Okay." I kiss her on the cheek. "Love you." I walk over to Dad and kiss him on the cheek. "Love you, Dad."

"Have fun. You better get going, you're already late." Dad says as Mum get back into bed.

"I will. Goodnight." I leave their room. I have a little panic attack when I get in the car because it's 5:50. Wow, I'm running really late... I can probably make it there in ten minutes... If I'm lucky and there's absolutely no traffic, but that's highly unlikely. Luck seems to be on my side tonight. There's not much traffic. As I drive past Café l'Amour, I keep my eyes peeled for the entrance to the back parking lot of Felice's. When I pull into the parking lot, I see that I'm not too late; I managed to get here at 6:05. On my way to the front of the building, I notice Ron's car, which looks fairly new... perhaps he got a newer model of his old car... and Malfoy's immaculate car, which still has that stuffed dog in the back windshield. The maître d' greets me when I walk through the front doors of the restaurant. The room is filled with loud chatter and the sound of dishes clinking.

"Good evening, miss. What party are you dining with?" He asks me politely.

"Good evening. Erm..." I failed to ask Harry whose name the reservation was made under... "I'm sorry to say I'm not entirely sure. The reservation is either under Potter or Malfoy..."

"Ah yes, you are one of Mr. Malfoy's guests. The rest of your party is here. If you would follow me, please." He leads me through the restaurant, zigzagging through the sea of tables. The inside of the restaurant is much bigger than I thought it would be. Finally, we reach the very back of the restaurant, but the maître d' is stopped by one of the waiters, who is asking about a dish. I stand awkwardly behind the two workers talking and scan the area to see if I can find them. I see the unmistakable red hair on the left side of the room.

"Thank you for your help." I lightly tap the maître d' on the shoulder. "I've found them."

"You're very welcome, miss. Enjoy your meal." He and the other waiter continue talking as I walk away. When I reach the table, I see that the salad has already been served.

"'Mione!" Ginny exclaims excitedly and jumps out of her seat.

**AN: A fairly short chapter. Well, in comparison to the other ones. I figured putting the whole dinner scene would make this chapter much too long. Dinner and the bar will be one chapter. Hopefully I won't have writer's block again.**


	6. Chapter 6

_It's Been a While:_ Chapter 6

**Hermione's POV**

I open my arms wide, inviting Ginny to a hug. She squeezes me as we embrace. I push her away to get a good look at her. "Ginevra Weasley. Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" Little Ginny Weasley is no longer little. She's matured beautifully; her hair tied up in a sophisticated high ponytail, her white blouse and black pencil skirt accentuating her curves, her face made up to highlight her big brown eyes.

"I could ask you the same thing, Miss Granger. You look absolutely stunning." She smiles brightly and hugs me again. "You have to tell me everything. How was New York? How was college? Oh goodness, 'Mione, I've missed you so much. We've all missed you." I smile, amused that Ginny hasn't changed all that much.

"Yeah, it would be nice to hear about all of that... But it would be nicer if I could actually get the chance to say hello to my best friend. Considering I haven't seen or heard from her in four years." Ron says from behind Ginny. Ginny laughs and steps out of the way.

"Ron." I say, looking up at his face. I step into his open arms.

"Hey, 'Mione." He says into my hair. "We really have missed you loads." He holds me at arm's length. "You look great."

"So do you. You need a haircut, though." I laugh and reach up to ruffle his overgrown hair.

"Why don't we sit down?" Ginny says. Ron and I nod. Both he and Ginny take their seats as I greet Harry.

"You're normally so punctual." Harry smirks.

"You're normally so annoying." I retort and kiss him on the cheek. I walk around the table and sit down that the only seat with an untouched plate, to the right of Ron. Ginny sits between Ron and Harry. There is salad on the plate to Harry's left, but no one sitting there. "So um... Where's Malfoy?" My voice squeaks a little when I say his name.

"He had to take a phone call." Harry answers, his eyebrow quirked at me. What's that all about?

"Would you like some salad, 'Mione?" Ginny offers.

"Sure." I smile. Ginny passes the salad bowl to Ron, who starts serving the salad to me. "Thanks, Ron." My smile widens. Ron, Ginny, and Harry try the garlic bread. I take a bite of the salad. It's actually really good; the vegetables are fresh and the dressing isn't overpowering.

"Sorry about that." A voice breaks the silence. I look up to see Malfoy walking around the table. He's wearing the same outfit that I saw him in earlier, but he's fixed his tie, buttoned up his shirt, and unrolled his sleeves. Even if it's only those three small details, he looks a lot different; now that I'm thinking about it, he looks a lot less laid-back than he did when I saw him this afternoon. He sits down in the empty seat next to me and says, "My father's assistant called me about a supposed problem at work. He thought I misfiled some paperwork. Turns out the git doesn't know alphabetical order." He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. He sighs again and turns to me. "Hello, Hermione."

"Hello." It's the only thing I manage to say back. I'm still not comfortable using his first name and I feel bad calling him by his last name after he's used MY first name. He smiles a small smile.

"Take a look at the menu, 'Mione. Our waitress should be coming soon to take our orders." Harry says, gesturing to the unopened menu in front of me.

"Ugh. That waitress is a slag." Ginny purses her lips.

"Gin, that's not very nice." Harry says.

"Well she is."

"Why is she a slag?" I question.

"You'll see what I mean, 'Mione." Ginny crosses her arms. I pick up the menu and scan the selection of food. Sure enough, a pretty waitress comes to our table a few minutes later. She seems to be around our age.

"Are you ready to order?" She asks as she pulls out a small notepad and a pen from her apron. We all nod.

"I'll have the chicken parmesan with penne pasta." Harry says.

"Absolutely." The waitress smiles and winks. She actually WINKS at him. I stare wide-eyed at Ginny. She narrows her eyes, shakes her head, and mouths 'See what I mean' to me.

"Gin? Do you know what you're ordering?" Harry rubs her shoulder to get her attention.

"The chicken alfredo." She says curtly and places her hand over Harry's on the tabletop. "Please." The waitress just nods and writes down the order.

"I'll have the... filet mignon. With mashed potatoes, please."

"How would you like your steak, sir?' A wide smile returns to the waitress's face.

"Erm, medium well."

"Sure." She turns to me but I see her eyes look Malfoy up and down. I cough and she finally looks at me.

"The linguini with clam sauce, please."

"Okay. Would you also like something to drink? You weren't here earlier." She says averting her eyes back to Malfoy, who doesn't notice a thing.

"Just water is fine." I say, trying to get her attention. She doesn't look at me again; she only nods.

"And for you, handsome?" She smiles a cat-like smile.

"Er, sorry?" Malfoy finally looks up from his menu. "Oh, right. I'll just have the baked salmon with rice pilaf."

"You got it." She bats her eyelashes. I resist the urge to gag. She collects our menus and I'm pretty sure I see her intentionally brush her hand against Malfoy's as she takes his menu.

"She makes me want to vomit." Ginny says when the waitress is finally out of earshot.

"I don't understand, Gin. She's just friendly." Ron shrugs.

"Ron, honestly? She winked at Harry. WINKED. And she only smiled at you three. And she called Draco 'handsome'. She's disgusting. Does she have no shame?"

"Are you insinuating that I'm not, in fact, handsome, my dear Weaslette?" Malfoy smirks.

"Oh, shove off, Draco." Ginny rolls her eyes at him then laughs. "So, 'Mione, how was New York? And college? Where did you go, again? Was it fun?"

"Whoa, slow down, Gin!" I laugh. "New York was amazing. Well, most of the time. Traffic was horrible. Weather's not too much different. They definitely didn't get as much rain, though. I went to Columbia University. It was fun. Loads of fun. But I missed home."

"Did you end up studying business like you planned?" Ron asks.

"Yeah, I did."

"Oh, like Draco!" Ginny says.

"Yeah." I glance at him and he smiles. I'm not really sure why he's smiling, but I find myself smiling back. I turn my gaze back to Ginny and I see Harry smirking a little, looking right at Malfoy. Wonder what that's about... "I'm unemployed though, so that'll be a pain." I continue the conversation.

"That's a shame..." She pauses then her eyes brighten. "Draco! Why don't you help Hermione find a job! I'm sure you can find something for her to do at your dad's firm! Or find somewhere else for her to work, since your dad knows people."

"Ginny!" I'm mildly horrified that she has volunteered Malfoy to help me find somewhere to work. I quickly turn to Malfoy. "It's alright. You don't have to do that. Finding a job is my problem; I don't want to burden you."

"It's not a problem at all. I'm sure I can help out in some way. I'm not sure why I didn't think of it sooner." Malfoy says calmly.

"Because you're not as smart as me, Drakie. I'm always one step ahead." Ginny says as she taps the side of her head with her index finger. Harry, Ron, and Malfoy roll their eyes. I giggle.

"It's really all right. I'll do some job hunting." I say to Malfoy.

"Well if you can't find anywhere to work, let me know. I'd be happy to help as best as I can." He answers and smiles.

"Thank you." Again, I smile back at him. "So what about you two? What have you two been up to since I've been gone?" I look at Ginny and Ron.

"I've been alright, I suppose. Graduated with a degree in graphic arts, which came as a surprise to everyone including me. I have an internship with this little company that creates advertisements for other companies." Ron explains.

"Wow. That's really great, Ron. What about you, Gin? I heard from Harry you're studying nursing? How is it going for you?"

"Yes, I am." She nods. "It's really tough. I get so stressed out and I'm always, always studying. But it's rewarding. Working with patients is a joy. I can't believe I'll be graduating next year." I ask her about what it's like working in a hospital and how she manages when it comes to terminally ill patients. She talks animatedly about how there's never a dull moment. She likes working in pediatrics and mother-baby. She tells me that it kills her when she's with terminally ill patients, but she does her best to be a good nurse to them and to make them smile every day.

"You'll be an amazing nurse." Harry says and reaches to hold her hand. How sweet. I smile at the gesture. Our waitress comes to the table with our meals. I try to ignore her while she bats her eyelashes at Malfoy again and bends forward a little too much as she places his plate in front of him. She sways her hips as she leaves. All five of us sit in silence for a few minutes to get a good taste of our food. It's absolutely delicious.

"So... how long have you two been... together?" I ask, looking at Harry and Ginny. Ginny's cheeks redden and she looks Harry, who is looking at me.

"Probably about three years. Since my second year at college, when she first came to Oxford." Harry states matter-of-factly with a big smile on his face. Harry goes onto telling me about how their relationship came to be. Harry helped Ginny around the school for the first week and they would meet in the library at times to do homework together. They would even meet up for breakfast before their morning classes. Eventually, it became routine, and during the Christmas break, Harry invited Ginny to dinner with his parents. Of course, Lily and James knew Ginny, but it was the first time Ginny had dinner with the Potters without Ron or me.

"It's gross." Ron pipes up, his mouth full. "They're always acting so cute and lovey-dovey. I thought it would become more bearable as time went by, but it just gets worse and worse."

"I know what you mean. Every time Harry brought her out with us, I would honestly get sick to my stomach watching them." Malfoy adds. Harry shoves Malfoy a bit, which makes him laugh.

"Oh please, Ron. As if you don't act like that with Lavender." Ginny says and takes a sip of her water. All of a sudden, Ron's eyes widen.

"Ginny." He half-whispers. His wide eyes are darting back and forth between Ginny and me.

"Oh... Was I not supposed to say anything about that yet?" Now, Ginny's eyes widen too.

"It's okay, Ron. I know. I ran into Lavender at the bookstore this afternoon. You don't have to hide things like that from me just because I'm your ex-girlfriend. As long as you're happy, I'm happy." I smile and touch his forearm. His face softens. "So how did you two get together?" He proceeds to tell me that they've only started seeing each other this past year. They went to the same college and they had some classes together. They were on friendly terms and they would spend time together every now and then, very rarely by themselves, but they had fun. Apparently one of their friends had a birthday party last year and Ron had asked Lavender to be his date and then they started going out every other week or so. "You seem to really like her."

"I do. She's fun. I like how I feel when I'm around her." Ron says sheepishly.

"Weasel's getting all emotional on us." Malfoy says. "Someone please make it stop before I vomit." Harry, Ginny, and I snicker. Ron just rolls his eyes.

"Are you all finished? I can take your plates for you. And I have your check." The waitress says, appearing out of nowhere. We're all taken aback because none of us had noticed her.

"Yeah, thanks." Harry says. The waitress retrieves our check from the pocket of her apron and hands it to Malfoy.

"Ninety-two pounds." Malfoy reads the check aloud.

"Wow, that's steep..." I say. "But the food was delicious." Everyone nods in agreement. Malfoy passes the check around so we can add how much we owe for our food as well as some extra for the tip. Ginny obviously wanted to tip her less, but Harry convinced her out of it. Harry gestures to the waitress and she comes over with a small plate with five mints.

"This is for you all." She places the little plate on the table then turns to Malfoy to take the check. "And this is for you." She slips a little piece of paper into Malfoy's hand then winks. "Have a good evening." She walks away without looking back.

"Draco, what the bloody hell is that?" Ron asks, popping a mint into his mouth.

"I can take a guess." Harry chuckles.

"Oh dear God." Malfoy unfolds the piece of paper and groans. "She gave me her number." He runs a hand over his face and tosses the paper to Harry. I shift uncomfortably in my seat.

"Would you look at that. It came with a little love note." He laughs.

"No she did not." Ginny gasps and grabs the note from Harry. "Oh my God, she did. 'It was a pleasure to serve you. I'd like to see you again. Call me.' There's a winky face! She put a winky face! What is it with this girl and winking?" Ginny covers her mouth in a vain attempt to mask her laughter. She hands the paper to Harry, who hands it back to Malfoy.

"What in the world am I supposed to do with it? I can't just leave it here." Malfoy sighs.

"You could always keep it for future use." Ron chuckles.

"Not bloody likely." Malfoy responds.

"But it was her pleasure to serve you, Drakie." Ron drawls.

"Let's leave before Ginny makes a scene." Harry says quickly. Ginny is laughing uncontrollably the people nearest to our table are already giving us weird looks. We all get up from our seats, gather our things and leave the restaurant. When we step into the fresh air, Ginny audibly takes a deep breath.

"My goodness. That was highly amusing." She wipes a nonexistent tear from her eye. I shake my head and laugh.

"Are we still going to the bar?" Ron asks as we walk around the building to the parking lot.

"Yeah, it's a little after eight o'clock." Harry answers.

"Erm... sorry. I'm not sure where we're going." I say sheepishly. "I've never actually been to a bar here, remember?"

"It's a little further down the street. You can just follow me." Malfoy says. I nod. We get into our cars. Ron pulls out of his parking spot and drives out of the lot. Malfoy pulls out afterwards and waits for me at the exit. He starts driving when I pull up behind him. I notice Gigi's and the Malfoy Enterprises building as I drive. It's a short drive, only six or seven blocks down from Felice's. I follow Malfoy's car into a parking lot next to a small, one-story building. Harry, Malfoy, and I walk to the entrance and see Ron and Ginny waiting for us; we walk in together.

The bar is small and quaint. The room is full but not overpopulated. Ron picks a booth in the right corner of the room, fairly close to the bar. Ron sits on one side next to the wall and Ginny sits opposite him. Malfoy files in after Ron and Harry sits next to Ginny. I opt to sit next to Harry because I'm not sure if I can handle such close proximity to Malfoy. I'm not entirely sure why that is, though.

"I'm going to be honest, I've never actually gone out for a drink with friends before." I confess and all four pairs of eyes stare at me.

"Really...?" Ginny looks somewhat mortified.

"Well, yeah. I wasn't old enough to drink here before I left. And legal drinking age in the States is twenty-one so..." I explain.

"Well, you best be careful tonight, then. We don't want you getting drunk." Harry says.

"I don't want me getting drunk either." I smile.

"I'll get us a round." Harry offers.

"Thanks, mate." Malfoy and Ron say.

"Come, 'Mione, let's get you something good to drink." I scoot out of the booth, as does Harry and Ginny. She links arms with me and the three of us walk to the bar. "What do you like?"

"Idunno." I shrug. "I've never actually had anything other than champagne, wine, and beer."

"You poor girl..." Ginny says sympathetically. The bartender hands Harry three beer bottles. "Let's just have a bottle of beer tonight, then. I'd much rather talk and catch up. We don't need to drink anything fancy. We'll save that for another time." She winks and I laugh. Ginny asks the bartender for the beers. "I'll pay for this. Consider it a small 'welcome home' gift."

"Thanks, Gin." We each hold our own bottle and we link arms again as we walk back to the table.

"Can I just say that your dress is gorgeous." Ginny says as she sits down. "Where'd you get it?"

"This little boutique called Gigi's." I shoot a glance at Malfoy. He smiles ever so slightly at me. I see his eyes dart to Harry and he quirks his eyebrow. Harry is smirking at him again. Why?

"I've never been in there before, but I've heard of it. From Astoria, actually."

"Astoria? As in Astoria Greengrass?" I ask her.

"Yes, that's her. She goes to Oxford and she's a year below me, but I've worked with her in the hospital quite a few times." Ginny explains. "How is she by the way, Malfoy? I haven't seen or heard from her in a while." Malfoy looks alarmed by her question.

"Er... Yeah. I um... spoke to her yesterday. She's alright." Malfoy answers

"That's good." She pauses to take a drink. Harry seems to be incredibly preoccupied with the label on his beer and he's biting the inside of his cheek. Why does he look so uncomfortable? "How are you two?" Ginny asks. It takes me a few moments to register what she says. She's not referring to Malfoy and Astoria, is she? "Have you two been talking a lot? Going out? I know she likes you a lot."

"Uh... Idunno." Malfoy runs a hand through his hair. "We're... Idunno, all right. I suppose. We don't talk too much... I think. I've um... been out with her a few times. Idunno... Everything is okay." He stammers. I stare at him and bite the inside of my cheek. So... Malfoy's seeing someone. I stare down at my lap; I pick off the imaginary lint on my dress. I feel my chest tighten and I suddenly feel restless. Ginny asks him more about the status of their 'relationship' and I try very hard not to listen. But it's almost impossible to ignore since they're sitting right there... He doesn't give up much information, but I gather that he went out with her last week to celebrate his graduation and that she's gone away for the weekend. I take three big swigs of my beer and instantly regret it. I decide that I'm feeling dehydrated.

"Sorry to interrupt. I'm... I'm just going to get some water. I'm feeling parched." Ginny and Malfoy look up at me as I stand. I can't meet his eyes. I briskly walk toward the bar, sit at one of the stools, and ask the bartender for a glass of cold water. I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths. I take a drink of my water. It's so refreshing and it calms me down almost immediately. I don't understand why I feel so uncomfortable. Why am I so affected by the news that Malfoy is seeing someone? It's not even any of my business. I hear the stool next to me shift and I turn to see Harry sitting there, not looking at me, but rather looking straight ahead at the shelves of alcohol.

"May I have a glass of water, please?" He asks the bartender. "You alright?" He asks, still not looking at me. The bartender places a glass of water in front of Harry. He takes a long drink from his glass. "You seem... distressed"

"I'm fine."

"You're lying. Whenever you get upset, you look for a glass of water. I remember during high school, you'd always stomp off to the kitchen when you didn't understand what you were studying." I sigh. Harry can read me like a book.

"I'm not sure, Harry." I turn away and stare at the shelves of alcohol. "I feel... odd. I couldn't sit there and listen to Ginny and Malfoy talk."

"Is it because you're still uncomfortable with him?"

"No, that's not it. Actually, I'm feel like I'm starting to feel somewhat comfortable around him. I saw him today, you know. This afternoon at Café l'Amour. Did you get my croissant?"

"Yeah. Thanks for that." I hear him chuckle. "So what is it? Why can't you sit there and listen to them talk?"

"I really don't know. I just know that it's very unnerving to listen to." I turn to see him looking at me.

"Unnerving?" He asks. I nod. "Hm... I see." Harry smirks. "Two of a kind, you are." He finishes off the rest of his water.

"What? What do you mean 'two of a kind'?" I ask, extremely confused. Harry just smirks again. He squeezes my hand, which is on the bar, then stands up and walks back to the table. What is with Harry and all this smirking? Maybe Malfoy is really getting to him. I sigh and slowly finish my water before returning to the table.

**Draco's POV**

Ginny's sudden interrogation about Astoria is more than uncomfortable to experience and I'm not entirely sure why. I feel like I don't want Hermione to hear about my... relations with Astoria. I'm trying to not let it get to me, but I find myself answering Ginny's questions in clipped sentences. Ginny is very intuitive so I'm sure she can tell I don't want to talk about it, which is exactly why she will not stop asking questions. Meddling Weaselette. So I'm thankful for when Hermione interrupts us to get a glass of water. And I'm even more thankful for when Harry decides to get up to follow her.

"I wonder if everything is okay." Ron says as he watches Harry sit down next to Hermione at the bar.

"Why do you say that?" I ask.

"Hermione and Harry are inseparable. When I say inseparable, I really mean it. They don't even have to physically be together; they're together mentally and emotionally. It's a bit scary how well they know each other." Ginny explains, shrugging.

"It's like they share some sort of crazy psychic connection." Ron adds. I take a drink of my beer. Harry and Hermione aren't looking at each other, but I have no doubt in my mind that they're talking. I hear Ginny scolding Ron for drinking his beer too quickly, but I'm more focused on Harry and Hermione at the bar. I see their mouths moving, but they're still not looking at each other. They finally make eye contact after a short while of talking to the wall. Harry squeezes Hermione's hand then walks toward us. He retakes his seat next to Ginny.

"So are things alright?" Ron asks, glancing at Hermione, who is still sitting at the bar.

"Yeah, why wouldn't they be?" Harry says simply and smiles. Ginny goes on to telling Harry about how she was just telling Ron to be careful with his drinking. Then she goes on to telling Ron that maybe he should also drink a glass of water. While they're talking, I stare openly at Hermione, who is finally making her way back to the table.

"Sorry about that. I just really needed water. Just wanted to be safe and make sure there is absolutely no alcohol in my system by the time I leave here." Hermione says as she plops down on the seat next to Harry.

"See, Ron? You should get some water. You're driving us both home, you know." Ginny says.

"I'll be fine, Gin. We'll be here a while anyway. It's not even ten o'clock yet." Ron responds. "I'm going to get more beer. You guys want another?" Harry and I both look at our bottles and down the last of it.

"Sure." We tell Ron. I step out of the booth and decide to wait for Ron to come back with the beers before I sit back down. Ginny gets a call from her mother. Hermione is staring emotionlessly into her lap; I see Harry say something quietly to her and she smiles a little bit. When Ron comes back with the beers, Ginny gets off the phone.

"Was that Mum?" Ron asks, sitting down. I follow suit.

"Yeah. She just wanted to know where we were." Ginny says and rolls her eyes. I remember Hermione calling Molly Weasley a doting mother and I have to fight the urge to smile. "Anyway. What were we talking about earlier?"

"Not sure, Gin." Harry answers immediately after taking a quick glance at Hermione. What's that about? "Doesn't matter anyway. We can always talk about something else. I'm sure you'll think of something." He laughs. Ron joins in and Hermione giggles. Ginny narrows her eyes at Harry.

"So, 'Mione. How's the love life? I'm sure after four years, you've had your fair share of boys." Ginny says. I tense up.

"Um. Well, not exactly." Hermione answers. I relax, which doesn't go unnoticed by Harry. He gives me that smirk and quirk of his eyebrow that I seem to have become accustomed to in the past few hours.

"Oh c'mon, 'Mione. Tell them about that guy you met." Harry says, not looking away from me. My eyes widen. His smirk grows wider.

"Harry." Hermione's voice raises a few octaves. "That's hardly necessary."

"Don't be embarrassed, 'Mione! It's all right if you've fallen for an American boy. They can be quite charming, I suppose. Well, not that I would know." Ginny interjects.

"Just tell them, 'Mione." Harry urges. Hermione sighs, seemingly exasperated.

"There is this boy I met the day I left. He was sweet to me. I gave him my email address." She mumbles. Ginny gasps.

"Has he contacted you already?!" Ginny asks excitedly.

"Yes. Yesterday."

"You haven't spoken today? Why not?" Ginny is shocked.

"I haven't been on my email. I don't know, Gin." Hermione sounds annoyed.

"Do you like him?" Ginny probes for more information. I hold my breath, waiting for Hermione's answer.

"I don't know, Gin. We just met." I exhale. For some unknown reason, I'm happy about that answer.

"Well you gave him a way to contact you. You must like him or something. You wouldn't just give your contact information to anyone." I find this conversation just as uncomfortable as the one we had about Astoria. Hermione just shrugs.

"Alright, Gin. That's enough. I don't think 'Mione wants to talk about it." Ron warns.

"Fine. But we're definitely going to talk about this later." Ginny says to her. Hermione sighs then looks up to find me staring. We both look away from each other immediately and I start to get fidgety. I run my hand through my hair at least four times.

"You all right there, Draco?" Harry asks, fake concern laced in his voice. He's still wearing that stupid smirk. I'm so bloody confused by that smirk, but I narrow my eyes at him anyway.

"I'm fine, thanks." Hermione looks at me curiously and I can't help but smile.

"You know what we need to do?" Ginny changes the subject suddenly, which startles the rest of us. "We have to go clubbing."

"That's a horrible idea." Ron says, groaning.

"No, it's a good idea. It'll be fun! We haven't gone since last summer."

"That's because you're the only one that ever wants to go."

"Not true! Harry likes going with me! Don't you, Harry?" Ginny looks at Harry expectantly.

"Sure, Gin." Harry answers unenthusiastically. I laugh.

"See, Ginny. No one likes going to the club." Ron whines.

"Ron! That's not fair. I'm sure 'Mione would like to go. She probably hasn't been to one here yet."

"I have not." Hermione confesses.

"See! We have to go. As celebration for graduating. C'mon, it'll be a good time. We can dress nicely and we can drink all night."

"That does sound tempting..." Ron says quietly.

"So we'll go?" Ginny has a huge smile on her face. Harry and Hermione smile and nod. I just shrug. I don't really care. "Yes! Oh, I'm getting all excited and I don't even know when we'll be going." She rummages through her bag and withdraws a small planner.

"I'm not free the next two weekends. I have project at work that needs to be done. Deadline is June second." Ron says.

"That's fine. Hm... We can't do the weekend afterwards, June ninth... That's Draco's birthday party..." I see Hermione quirk her eyebrow and she glances at me for a second. I should probably formally invite her... "How about the week after that? Is everyone free June sixteenth?" Ginny looks up from her planner. We all nod. "Good! June sixteenth, then. Ron, bring Lavender. And Draco, you can bring Astoria." I groan inwardly but I know I can't NOT invite her. If I don't, Ginny certainly will.

We – mostly Ginny – spend another hour or so talking about what we should all do over the summer. Ginny continues to suggest "fun activities" and Ron continues to shoot them down. Harry, Hermione, and I spend most of the time laughing the two argue. Ron has a point, though, shooting her ideas down. He and I don't have much free time since we're both working most days of the week, so there's not much free time to spare.

"Oh, when I ran into Lavender this afternoon, we talked about having a little reunion with some of our friends from high school." Hermione says to Harry and Ron. I feel my shoulders slump a bit. I assume that I won't be invited since I wasn't exactly one of their friends but then he turns to me. "You're welcome to join us, Malfoy. We might not have been friends in high school. But you are a friend and you did go to the same high school." She smiles.

"Thank you." I smile back.

"When will it be?" Ron asks.

"I'm not sure. I put Lavender in charge of planning. She said she wants to wait for Cho to come back from vacation."

"Oh, she'll love that." Ron smiles widely. "Sorry, Gin. I guess you're not invited since you weren't in our grade." He teases.

"Ronald, don't be mean." Hermione warns. "Of course you can go, Gin."

"Of course I can." Ginny says and smiles triumphantly. We all laugh. Ron yawns loudly. "Oh dear, Ron's getting sleepy. We should probably leave soon." Harry chuckles and Hermione laughs.

"I'll get him a glass of water to help wake him up a bit." Hermione goes to the bar.

"Do you want me to drive, Ron?" Ginny asks.

"No, it's alright. I'll be okay." Ron replies. Hermione comes back to the table and slides the glass of water toward Ron. "Thanks, 'Mione." He drinks all of it.

"Well, we'll get going before I pass out." Ron says and stands up. We all stand and step out of the booth. "It was really great seeing you, 'Mione. It's been too long. See you soon." Ron hugs Hermione and kisses her on the cheek.

"We'll have some girl time soon, yeah? We have much more to catch up on." Ginny says and hugs Hermione. "Maybe sometime next week? I'll text you."

"See you in a few weeks, mate." Ron says and claps me on the back.

"Bye, Draco." Ginny kisses me on the cheek.

"I'll walk you out." Harry says, taking Ginny's hand. "Be back in a bit." Harry gives me an odd look and kind of nudges me as he walks past. I furrow my brows and watch him walk out with Ron and Ginny. What is he on about this time? I turn around and see Hermione reseated at the table. I sit across from her.

"I'm exhausted." She says.

"Are you really?"

"Ginny is too much." She sighs. Then she grins. I chuckle. "It was fun."

"Never a dull moment with them." I comment.

"Never." She giggles. We sit in silence for a few seconds and I remember my birthday party.

"So about earlier, when Ginny mentioned my birthday... I'd like to formally invite you to my house on June ninth. My parents planned a party to celebrate my birthday as well as my graduation. It's kind of a big deal to them, I guess." I shrug. "I'm not too sure about the details as of yet, but it'll probably start around five o'clock. I'll let you know if anything changes."

"Thank you for inviting me." She smiles a soft smile.

"You're quite welcome, Miss Granger." I give her a smile of my own. She blushes and we stare at each other. Just then, Harry walks back through the entrance, which causes Hermione to look away from me and fiddle nervously with her necklace.

"Ready to go?" Harry says as he walks toward us.

"Yeah." Hermione says quickly and stands. The three of us walk outside into the cool nighttime air. It's actually gotten a bit chilly. I see Harry offer Hermione his arm as we walk to our cars; she clutches it, shivering a bit.

"No cardigan?" Harry asks.

"No, I forgot one since I rushed out of the house." Hermione admits. "Am I taking you home?"

"Yeah, that would be nice. So Draco doesn't have to go out of his way to bring me home."

"Okay."

"Alright, I'll see you soon Draco. Let me know if you're free. I know you're a busy, working man now. But it would be nice if you could spare some free time for little old me." Harry laughs.

"Whatever you say, Potter." I chuckle. "See you soon, Harry."

"See you soon, Malfoy." Hermione says, releasing Harry's arm. She takes a step toward me and hesitates. She takes another step then stands on her tiptoes to kiss my cheek. My eyes widen a fraction and I freeze at the contact; for that split second I see that stupid smirk reappear on Harry's face. Damn you, Potter. Hermione steps away from me and retakes hold of Harry's arm.

"Bye. Goodnight." I say, still trying to regain some of my composure. She smiles at me and Harry's eyes flicker from me to her and back to me. I see him shake his head slightly. They get into Hermione's car and I enter mine. I pull out of the parking lot after them and we drive back down the road together. I'm driving behind them for a little over ten minutes, when Hermione makes the left turn that will take them to their street. I keep driving straight. The rest of the way home, I cannot stop thinking about how warm and soft her pretty pink lips felt on my cheek and the way she smiled when I said goodbye.

**AN: Shit, that was a long chapter. I realized that I should probably get a move on with this story, because once I start classes, I won't have much time to write anymore. I shall try my best to give you as much as I can. Sorry if the plotline is moving a bit slow... Things will speed up next chapter, I promise!**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: So it was called to my attention by a reader that I should use "Mum" instead of "Mom" Sorry about that, everyone! And another thing I picked up from a previous chapter, I royally screwed up the time difference between London and the US... So I went back and fixed all of that. Also, time is going to start moving faster, as promised. Ok, onto Chapter 7, which is going to be fairly short.**

_It's Been a While_: Chapter 7.

**Hermione's POV**

"That was fun." I say to Harry as I drive home.

"Yeah, it was. Really nice that we were finally reunited. Plus Draco." He chuckles. I smile but I have nothing else to say. The both of us sit in silence for a while, staring through the windshield at the empty and dimly-lit road ahead of us. At times, more times than I'd like to admit, I sneak a peek at my rearview mirror to see Malfoy driving behind us. It's mostly too dark to see anything, but when I do get glimpses of him, his face is emotionless. As emotionless and blank as he used to look at me, at least when he wasn't smirking. An involuntary shiver runs down my spine. After about ten minutes of driving, I turn left.

"Well there goes Draco." Harry says, his eyes following Malfoy's car as it continues down the road. I wonder vaguely about where he lives. I've never been to the infamous 'Malfoy manor' and I'm tempted to ask Harry about it, but I hold my tongue. I don't really feel like talking about him; the strange feelings I had after hearing about Malfoy and Astoria are still settled in the pit of my stomach. Also, I'm not quite sure what possessed me to kiss him on the cheek earlier or why I felt embarrassed when he addressed me as 'Miss' or even why I felt inexplicably happy that he invited me to his birthday party. I quickly push those thoughts out of my head. The last thing I need right now is to be distracted. I have other, more significant things that require my attention. I try to think of something to talk about with Harry, but decide against it once I notice that he seems to be dozing off. I laugh to myself. I drive straight for another five minutes then finally make the right turn onto our street. I pull up in front of the Potters'.

"Harry." I shake his shoulder. "Harry, you're drooling."

"Wha-what? Are we home?"

"Yes, you're home." I snicker.

"Thanks 'Mione." He unbuckles his seatbelt then turns to smile sleepily at me.

"How is it you can knock out after only five minutes?"

"It's a talent only a few people are lucky enough to possess."

"I bet." I shake my head, smiling. He shuffles in his seat and awkwardly stretches his body over the center console to kiss my cheek.

"See you soon?"

"Obviously. Maybe tomorrow or Sunday, if my parents don't need me for anything." He nods and yawns then, after some fumbling with the handle, clumsily gets out of the car. He waves as he closes the front door.

I instantly feel tired as I step over the threshold of my home. I slip my pumps off and the arches of my feet start to ache. I haven't worn heels this high in a while. My special graduation heels weren't even this high. I slowly and quietly make my way up the stairs. The light in my parents' room is off so I walk straight past their door and into my room so that I can sit at the vanity and take off my jewelry. I free myself from clothing and put on an oversized t-shirt. I take my sweet time in the bathroom – cleaning my face, brushing my teeth, flossing.

I close my bedroom door and reach for the light switch, but my eyes fall on my dress and those strange feelings from earlier come back. Why hadn't anyone bothered to tell me that Malfoy was seeing someone? I mentally slap myself for even bothering to wonder about that. I know exactly why: It's none of my damned business. Why in God's name do I keep thinking about it? I hang the dress on the far end of my closet, trying to convince myself that, maybe if I can't see the dress, I'll stop thinking about Malfoy.

I shuffle over to my desk. Maybe I'm dong this out of spite, but I really need something to distract me from stupid Malfoy and his stupid life that has nothing to do with me. I fire up my laptop and sign into my email.

To: jacobschwitt  
From: hjgranger  
Saturday, 5/19/2012 12:06 AM

_Hi, how was work today? – Hermione_

I sit and wait. The minutes stretch on and on and I start to feel stupid for emailing him at all. But then I get a new email.

To: hjgranger  
From: jacobschwitt  
Saturday, 5/19/2012 12:17 AM

_Hello, miss. Up late again, I see :) You have impeccable timing, I'm just about to punch out of work. It was fine. Some nice old lady gave me a huge tip for helping her! How was your day? – Jacob_

I quickly type a response.

To: jacobschwitt  
From: hjgranger  
Saturday, 5/19/2012 12:18 AM

_Yes, I'm up late again! Don't tell me you weren't happy to see an email from me. I had a good day. Spent time with some old friends. - Hermione_

I feel a little silly for flirting with him via email.

To: hjgranger  
From: jacobschwitt  
Saturday, 5/19/2012 12:20 AM

_Are you planning to stay up for a while longer? – Jacob_

To: jacobschwitt  
From: hjgranger  
Saturday, 5/19/2012 12:21 AM

_Idunno. Why? – Hermione_

To: hjgranger  
From: jacobschwitt  
Saturday, 5/19/2012 12:22 AM

_I'm about to take a cab home. Sign onto Facebook? We can instant message each other from there. It'll be easier to speak with each other :) But you'd have to wait for me to get onto a computer... So if you weren't planning to stay up, that's all right! – Jacob_

Well... I wasn't planning to stay up but... Why not.

To: jacobschwitt  
From: hjgranger  
Saturday, 5/19/2012 12:24 AM

_Sure. – Hermione_

I sign onto Facebook and wait. To keep myself from falling asleep, I try to busy myself by perusing my newsfeed. I see that Ginny updated her status earlier before dinner. 'Dinner with my best friends :)' I click on her profile and see that her profile picture is of her and Harry at his graduation. I laugh a little, thinking about how Harry would feel about a picture of him on Facebook. I see that she's uploaded a whole album of pictures from both Ron's and Harry's graduations. There are a lot of Weasley family photos, as usual. Fred and George look like they're doing well. Even Bill and Fleur had made it to Ron's graduation and Fleur is pregnant! I feel giddy just thinking about a little Weasley baby. She looks far along already. I'll definitely need to meet with Ginny soon and really catch up.

There is also a good amount of photos of Harry, Ron, and Ginny. I feel empty, knowing I wasn't there to celebrate with them... I've definitely missed out on so much the past four years. With each picture, the emptiness grows vaster and I get to a point where I'm barely even looking at the pictures at all. Then I see a flash of blonde hair. Malfoy with Harry and Ron at Ron's graduation. Malfoy with Ginny, Harry, and Ron. Malfoy with Harry, Ginny, Ron, and all the Weasleys. Malfoy and Harry in their graduation gowns. Malfoy with Harry, Lily, and James. In every picture where I should be, Malfoy is there. I'm not a very jealous person, but jealousy is literally the only thing I'm feeling right now. It's one thing for me to miss out on the greatest milestones of my friends' lives, but knowing that he was there instead? I don't want to be a brat, but it hurts. If anything, I should have been there too. With Harry, Ginny, Ron, AND Malfoy. I exit out of the photo album and as soon as I do, a little chat box appears at the bottom of window.

Jacob Schwitter: hey :)  
Hermione Granger: hey yourself!  
Jacob Schwitter: what time is it over there?  
Hermione Granger: about 12:45 AM  
Jacob Schwitter: you should really be asleep  
Hermione Granger: I should be, but I'm not. I wonder why that is  
Jacob Schwitter: :) so...  
Hermione Granger: so...?  
Jacob Schwitter: my favorite color is navy blue, nothing beats the pizza in ny, I just turned 22 this past March, and I play guitar

He's telling me about himself. I smile at the computer screen.

Hermione Granger: I love to read, my dream is to travel the world, my favorite color is red, and I speak French almost fluently  
Jacob Schwitter: French, eh? the language of love. care to share your knowledge, miss?  
Hermione Granger: are you making a pass at me?  
Jacob Schwitter: it depends. do you want me to be?

I roll my eyes but a smile spreads across my face anyway.

Hermione Granger: I'm not quite sure yet  
Jacob Schwitter: that's completely okay with me :) maybe we can just continue telling each other about ourselves  
Hermione Granger: that's completely okay with me :)

We go on like this for an hour and a half. Discussing things we like and dislike, our educational backgrounds, our hobbies and interests, and eventually our summer plans.

Jacob Schwitter: are you doing anything exciting this summer?  
Hermione Granger: nothing too exciting. I really just want to stay put and spend time with my friends. I haven't seen all of them in a while  
Jacob Schwitter: that makes sense  
Hermione Granger: so what exactly is it that you have planned for the summer?  
Jacob Schwitter: something I've been planning to do for a while, but never had the means necessary to do it  
Hermione Granger: are you going to tell me?  
Jacob Schwitter: I'll tell you eventually. I can't jinx it, remember?  
Hermione Granger: well, all right...  
Jacob Schwitter: hey, you should really be heading off to bed. I'm sure it's already past two in the morning over there

As if on cue, I yawn.

Hermione Granger: I really should  
Jacob Schwitter: you really should.  
Hermione Granger: goodnight, then  
Jacob Schwitter: goodnight, miss. don't be a stranger  
Hermione Granger: I won't  
Jacob Schwitter: sweet dreams

Before I can say anything more, he logs off Facebook. My eyelids feel heavy as I close my laptop and so I finally slip into bed after such a long day. Once my head touches the pillow, I knock out.

xxxxxxxxxx

My first weekend at home goes by in a flash. I had originally planned to meet up with Harry on Saturday, but my parents told me they were inviting the Potters over for Sunday night dinner. So I spend Saturday lounging around with my parents, giving myself the much-needed down time. Sunday isn't too busy, except for when Mum needed me to help prepare dinner. The Potters arrive and when we all sit down at the table, things finally feel like they're starting to fall back into place. My family and Harry's family would always take turns hosting dinner on Sunday nights. Most Sunday nights, at least.

"So what are you doing tomorrow?" Harry asks me as I load the last plate into the dishwasher.

"I was actually planning to start looking for a job this week."

"Oh yeah? That's good..." His face looks crestfallen. He probably doesn't have anything to do with his free time since Ron and Malfoy work. Well, there's always Ginny.

"Are you spending time with Ginny tomorrow?"

"No, she's volunteering at the hospital on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays."

"I see... Why don't you look for somewhere to work, Harry?"

"I'm not really sure if I'd be able to find a job."

"Can't you work as a teacher's assistant somewhere?"

"Well, I could. And I'll have to, eventually. But it's summer."

"Oh. Then why don't you look for somewhere that has openings for the fall?"

"I suppose I could do that."

"Absolutely. I just don't want you sitting around, wasting your summer away. You can at least do something productive with your time." I clap my hands together. "So it's settled. The pair of us will make sure we find somewhere to work. Okay?" I stick out my pinky finger. He smiles.

"Aren't we a little too old for pinky promises?"

"Maybe." I smile and shrug. He laces his pinky with mine.

xxxxxxxxxx

I don't know where the week went; it's already Friday. I spent every single day this week looking for somewhere to work, but I've had no luck finding any place with an opening. Given that most of the businesses around here are fairly small, the only large company that would possibly have an opening is Malfoy Enterprises... and I'm not sure if I want to work there... No matter. It's only been a week of searching. There are plenty more places to look, right? I settle down at my usual table outside Café l'Amour.

"Nice to see you again, Hermione." Luke, the waiter, greets me. He's been working here since I started high school. We're the same age, but he went to the all-boys private school. He's very sweet. I like to consider him a close friend of mine, even though we only ever see each other when I'm here. His father passed away during our third year of high school and I know he's been working really hard to help his Mum and younger sister.

"Hi Luke." I smile up at him.

"The usual?"

"Yes, please. I really need a pick-me-up. I'm so tired. Job searching is more difficult than most people let on."

"Don't worry. I'm sure some place will be smart enough to take you." He graces me with his usual brilliantly white, toothy smile.

"You always know what to say, Luke." I laugh. "How's everything going for you? Have you finished school?"

"Everything's great, thank you for asking. I've been working here every day since I started. Lucy's just started high school so I've kept this job to help Mum pay for her tuition. Not that I could ever really quit. It's a bit difficult to leave when your boss is your uncle." He chuckles. "But he pays me well. He knows we need as much as we can get. And yeah, I've finished school. Going on to law school as soon as I can. But you know money's really tight, so I'm trying my best."

"I'm really glad to hear that. You're the hardest worker I know."

"You've always been our best customer. It's nice having you back home." He squeezes my shoulder lightly. "Let me get you your tea. And... Croissant?" I nod. "Coming right up."

"Thanks." I look away from him as he goes into the café.

"He seems to fancy you." I hear a familiar drawl. That drawl is unmistakable. I can even almost hear the smirk in his voice. Malfoy.

"I've no idea what you're talking about. But, hello to you too." I say, looking up at him as he approaches me.

"Hello." His smirk turns into a smile. "Running errands again?"

"No, not today." I wave my hand to offer him the seat in front of me.

"Thanks." He gladly obliges and sits down.

"I was going around looking for somewhere to work." I continue.

"How's that going?"

"Not very successful, but it's only been a week. I'll continue my search next week."

"You know-"

"It's okay, Malfoy." I interrupt him. "If I really can't find anywhere, I'll let you know."

"Fine, fine." He chuckles and puts his hands up in defeat. Luke comes to the table with my tea and croissant.

"Here you go, Hermione." Luke says. I catch Malfoy assessing him. "I didn't know you were meeting someone. I would've waited. Is this your boyfriend?"

"Oh, God, no." I say hurriedly. I feel the heat rise to my face. "He's not my... my boyfriend. He's- he's just a friend. A friend." My face feels like it's on fire. I look down at the ground.

"Ah, excuse me for assuming." Luke says apologetically. "Can I get you anything, sir?" He asks politely.

"An iced-tea, please. Thanks."

"Sure." I watch Luke's feet as he leaves.

"You're fiddling with your necklace again." Malfoy says to me. I begrudgingly look up at him, extremely embarrassed that my face is so flushed.

"Nervous habit." I explain.

"I noticed." He chuckles lightly and gives an understanding smile.

"Did you just get out of work?" I'm desperate to change the subject.

"Yeah, finally." He slouches in his seat. I had no idea that Malfoy could slouch. I smile a little at this new observation.

"What're you smiling at?"

"I've never seen you slouch before. I never imagined you were capable of slouching." I answer honestly. He laughs again.

"Spending so much time with Potter can do that to a person." I can't help but smile at that. "But in all seriousness, I'm not that petulant, snobby child I used to be." He explains.

"I noticed." I repeat his words from just a moment ago and smile. "How was work?"

"Pain in the arse. I'm beginning to hate my father's assistant. But work is work."

"Maybe you can put that old Malfoy charm to good use and torment him a bit. Or is that part of you nonexistent now?" I offer jokingly.

"Not nonexistent, just somewhere where I can no longer find it. But I suppose I could torment him a little..."

"Malfoy, don't do that! He's above you." I say, shocked.

"Yeah, but my father is above him. And who will my father choose between the two of us?" He pauses. "Probably him." He deadpans. "I suppose I can't torment the poor sod. Can't besmirch my father's name." He says haughtily then rolls his eyes.

"Would your father really fire you?"

"I wouldn't doubt it." He just shrugs as if it's nothing. "Good old Dad." He sighs and runs a hand through his hair, looking away from me. "He's better now, though. Better than he used to be." He says and suddenly looks right at me. "Not as... frigid. He's still cold, just not frigid." I smile half-heartedly, at a complete loss of what to say. Fortunately, Luke returns with Malfoy's drink.

"Thanks." Malfoy says to him.

"No problem. Let me know if you need anything."

"Damn, I should've ordered something to eat now that I think about it." Malfoy says after Luke has already gone.

"I can call for him, if you'd like."

"Ah... It's fine." The intonation of his voice and his expression indicate that he's not sure.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." His stomach quietly rumbles and he looks at me sheepishly. Another thing I've never seen Malfoy do. I should have picture documentation of these observations just so I know I'm not just imagining things.

"Stubborn git." I shake my head and sigh. I carefully break my croissant in half and push the plate between us.

"Thanks." His eyes soften.

"You're welcome." We sit in silence, except for the occasional sips of our drinks. I am vaguely aware than he is trying hard not to reach for the croissant at the same time I do, which I find odd but am fairly thankful for. I'd rather not accidentally brush my hand against his or anything... I feel my face start to heat up a little bit, just thinking about it.

"So what are you doing this weekend?" He breaks the silence.

"Nothing interesting. Resting up for next week's job hunt, I suppose. How about you?"

"Picking out table settings and calling caterers and all of that nonsense with my Mum in preparation for next week..." He groans.

"Are you preparing for a wedding or something? I thought it was just a birthday party." I giggle.

"I wish. But it's never JUST a birthday party at the Malfoys'." He sighs exasperatedly.

"It should be fun."

"We'll see." He laughs. "The festivities start at five o'clock, by the way. And semi-formal attire is expected, unfortunately."

"Are you sure this isn't a wedding reception?"

"I'm sure." He grins. "Well, I should go. Mum's scheduled a wine tasting this evening. It was nice seeing you. Thanks again for the croissant."

"Nice seeing you too." He stands up, takes his wallet out of his pocket, and leaves seven pounds on the table.

"Malfoy, this is more than enough for your iced-tea." I call after him.

"Yeah, but there's not JUST iced-tea on the table, is there?" He calls over his shoulder, a smirk on his face. "Bye, Granger." I gape at the back of his head. Stupid git paid for me. I blush furiously and my heart hammers in my chest at the realization. Thank God he's not here to witness it.

"He seems charming enough." Luke says, surprising me.

"Luke! God, don't sneak up on me like that."

"Are you sure you two aren't dating? Because it sure seems like it from what I could tell." He smirks playfully.

"Not even close." My face heats up even more, which I didn't think was possible.

"I think he fancies you."

"Don't be silly, Luke. Well, I'll see you soon." I stand up quickly, eager to leave.

"See you soon, Hermione." I hear him say as I rush away from the café. As soon as I get into my car, I take a deep breath and place my hands on my heated cheeks. My goodness, what just happened? And what's going on with me?


	8. Chapter 8

_It's Been a While_: Chapter 8

**Hermione's POV**

My mind has been reeling since Friday afternoon. I've tried everything to distract me. I've tried cleaning my room and pampering myself. I've tried reading, which normally works really well. I've even tried talking to Jacob. We emailed each other for hours on Saturday afternoon, which incidentally was both very enjoyable and difficult, considering he was working all day... Anyway, I did all that and it was for naught.

I can't seem to grasp the concept of being on such friendly terms with Malfoy. But... can they really be considered 'friendly terms'? It wasn't JUST friendly, though. Maybe I'm delusional, but I can't shake the feeling that there was something different about my encounter with Malfoy that day. Am I really THAT uncomfortable with him? I'd like to think that I'm not. I've actually never felt as lax around him as I did on Friday. But then, I've also never blushed so much in one sitting. He paid for my tea and croissant. Well, Harry has paid for me, so has Ron... But he's not Harry or Ron, is he? He's Malfoy and he was kind enough to pay for my food and drink.

And I can't stop thinking about what Luke said. What did he mean 'it seemed like we're dating from what he could tell'? Malfoy and I barely even talked. People who date, talk to each other. There's no way Malfoy fancies me. He couldn't... Could he? What if he does? Does that mean Friday afternoon was a date? He paid for me. Is that why Luke thought we were dating? Because it seemed like we were on a date? No, Hermione. No. A date would entail planning; we would have had to plan to meet each other for tea and coffee. Wait, wait, wait. Maybe I really am going mad. Why am I even considering that Malfoy would ever harbor actual, romantic feelings for me? Because, even if we were living in some twisted world and he did fancy me, I wouldn't feel the same way. Right? Right. Malfoy can't like me and I can't like him. It's the natural order. He's seeing Astoria and I'm talking to Jacob. Him paying for me was just a kind gesture in response to my kind gesture of sharing.

I think I might get a break from my thoughts since it's Sunday night. Sunday night dinner is at the Potters' this week. Dinner is delicious and full of conversation, as always. Unfortunately, it only distracts me for so long. As soon as Harry and I are sitting in his living room, I verbalize my madness.

"You wouldn't believe what happened on Friday." I say to Harry.

'Try me."

"Well, I ran into Malfoy at Café l'Amour. And-"

"Again?"

"Yes again. So I ran into him and even though we didn't talk much, it was weirdly comfortable." Harry quirks an eyebrow at me and I furrow my brows at his expression, but I continue, "And the oddest thing happened."

"Do tell."

"Malfoy paid for my tea and croissant." I chew on the inside of my cheek and my face flushes a little. Harry tilts his head and looks at me curiously, but he knows better than to mention anything about my chagrin.

"Did he, now? Well, that was nice of him." He looks past me with a smirk on his face.

"Why are you smirking? This isn't amusing. I'm going mad trying to figure out why he did it."

"You're going mad over the fact Malfoy was nice to you?" His smirk widens noticeably but before I can ask about it, he coughs and covers his mouth to hide the smirk. "I wouldn't worry to much, 'Mione. If you're kind to him, he'll be kind to you."

"But I barely even did anything. I just invited him to sit with me and gave him half of my croissant because he was too stubborn to get own food." His eyes widen a fraction, but he regains composure quickly.

"Well, there you go. You were nice to him, he was nice to you. All he really wants is to be accepted. By you especially. He was sure it would take you months to warm up to him. But here we are; it took only a week."

"I find it highly improbable that the only thing he wants is to be accepted by me."

"Trust me." Harry says, smiling.

xxxxxxxxxx

My second week of job hunting goes by without a hitch, except for the fact that I still can't find anywhere that's hiring. I've even called and visited little businesses in nearby towns. No one has room for me. I'm starting to think that my only option is to ask for Malfoy's help. I'll give myself another two weeks.

xxxxxxxxxx

Ginny calls me on Wednesday morning, June sixth, as I'm leaving the house.

"Oh, you're up early. I didn't think you'd be awake!" She exclaims.

"If you didn't think I was going to be awake, why did you call?" I laugh.

"Wishful thinking. Anyway, I was wondering if you're free today."

"I will be, later. I'm looking for somewhere to work."

"Still? Why don't you just ask Draco? He said he would help." I tense up at the mention of his name. I had gone the past week without thinking about him. Leave it to Ginny to jog my memory. I sigh quietly.

"Yeah, still. I'll ask him if I'm desperate, okay?" I say, a little harsher than I had intended.

"Are you okay, 'Mione?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I exhale slowly. "Just stressed out, is all." That's not exactly a lie. I am stressed, just not about what Ginny thinks I'm stressed about. "So do you want to meet up later?"

"Yeah!"

"How does seven sound? Want to come over for dinner?"

"Sounds great. See you then." She hangs up and I go on my way to keep looking for a job. I turn up as unsuccessful as the last two weeks. No one is hiring. This is becoming such a pain. When I get home around six, I tell my parents that Ginny is joining us for dinner.

"Oh, that's great. Little Ginny." Mum says happily.

"She's not little anymore, Mum." I laugh. I feel as though that phrase has been overused recently.

"I'll cut up some fresh fruit. She still likes fresh fruit, right?"

"I would imagine that she does." She pulls out a chopping board and a knife then gets to work. "Do you need any help, Dad?" I ask him as he stirs the spaghetti sauce.

"No, that's fine, sweetheart. It's almost done." He answers.

"I'll just set the table, then." He nods then turns back to the stove. The doorbell rings at precisely seven o'clock.

"It's a bit frightening how on time you are..." I say, opening the front door for a smiling Ginny Weasley.

"I've been sitting in my car for ten minutes. Was too excited to spend time with you." She hugs me.

"Hi, Ginny." Mum says from behind me. "My Lord, you're all grown up now, aren't you? You look beautiful."

"Hi Mary." Ginny walks past me to give Mum a hug. "You look like you haven't aged a bit."

"Hello, Ginny!" Dad says from the dining room. "Let's eat, I'm starved." Ginny, Mum, and I walk to the dining room together.

"Hi David. It's nice seeing you." Ginny says as she sits down.

"How's your schooling? Graduated yet?" Dad asks, passing the salad bowl to Mum.

"Been good. I'm studying to be a nurse. And no, I'm graduating next year." Ginny smiles as she takes the salad bowl from my mum.

"That's good. Well enough chitchat for now. Let's dig in, shall we?" Mum says. After we've finished our salads and served ourselves some of the spaghetti, Dad begins to ask Ginny about her studies. Ginny asks them about working in New York. I don't talk much during dinner, which is fine with me. I'm going to be doing a lot of talking once Ginny and I are alone. The meal goes by quickly, too quickly for my liking. Before I know it, Ginny is shutting my bedroom door and is already bombarding me with questions.

"So who? Who is he? How did you meet? Where did you meet? How old is he? Is he cute? You have to tell me everything." She sits cross-legged across from me on my bed. I feel like we're back in high school, swapping stories, sharing secrets. I sigh and begin.

"His name is Jacob Schwitter. We went to the same college, but we didn't have any classes together. We met literally right before I left for the airport. He's a bellboy in at the building we were living at. He's just turned twenty-two this past March. He's... cute, I suppose. If your find American boys cute, that is. He's blonde and has bright blue eyes."

"Facebook. Is he on Facebook? You have to show me a picture." She drums on the bed with her palms impatiently.

"Calm down, Gin! I'll show you, just calm down." I retrieve my laptop and log onto Facebook to show her his profile. I watch her as she expertly assesses his information and photos. A look of approval settles on her face.

"Well done, 'Mione."

"Erm, thanks I guess?" I laugh.

"So how are things going to work between you two? It's a bit difficult to have a relationship with someone who lives across the pond."

"Whoa, who said anything about a relationship?" My eyes widen.

"Well, isn't it what you want? Surely he likes you a lot if he's willing to talk to you often, even with the long distance."

"I suppose it would be nice..." I shake my head to clear any of those hopeful thoughts away. "But don't think I'll ever see him, Gin. It's not like he'd fly all the way over here just to see me."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, 'Mione. Don't hold any expectations, but don't convince yourself that it won't work out either. Life has a funny way of surprising you."

"You're such a romantic."

"And so are you." She smiles softly. "I know you, 'Mione. Behind all those brains, you're still just a girl. A girl that would love being swept off her feet by a handsome guy who will treat her right." I sigh dreamily. "It will happen. Maybe this Jacob boy will be the one to do it, maybe he won't. But whoever he is, he'll be one lucky guy." I shove her shoulder and smile widely.

"You could very well be the best girl friend in the history of girl friends, you know that?"

"I've heard that once or twice before." I roll my eyes, but she says it so matter-of-factly that I start laughing.

"So what is it like being with Harry?"

"It's a dream, really. He's everything I had hoped for and more. And by more, I mean he's also a really big pain in the arse."

"You don't have to tell me twice." We both laugh.

"Harry takes me out all the time and, even though we don't always go to fancy places, he still manages to make me feel like a princess. I don't know how he does it." She says dreamily. "I'm lucky to have him."

"And he's lucky to have you."

"Damn right he is! I really love him, though." I smile, but I feel a little envious of her. Maybe not her, necessarily, but I feel envious of what she and Harry have. I don't think I've ever had anything close to it. Dating Ron was a part of my life I will never forget. He treated me well and I'm really glad to say he was my first real boyfriend. But when will I be lucky enough find someone I love and have them love me as much as Harry and Ginny love each other? I'm going to be twenty-two in a few months and I know I still have a lot of life to live, but it would be nice to finally be able to call someone mine, to have someone to cherish and to have someone cherish me for a very long time.

I'll never admit this to anyone, but my years in college were the loneliest I've ever felt in my entire life. I was in a new place with new people. It wasn't as if I didn't have anyone to talk to, it's just that I felt like I couldn't talk to them, at least not about myself. The worst part is that I would purposely push people away if they tried to get close to me. I was scared that I would become attached and I knew that I'd have to say goodbye as soon as I graduated. So yes, I did go on dates and yes, I did have very strong feelings for a few guys I met. But no, I did not let them pursue me. The same goes for friends. I made friends, spent time with them, but didn't give them the chance to get to know me. Because what's the point of letting someone into your life if you're just going to hurt in the end? These thoughts make my heart ache. I need to think about something else. Anything else.

"So what are Ron and Lavender like together?" I ask Ginny, who has taken my laptop.

"Bit annoying really. Lavender is a lot to get used to. But she's nice and Ron likes her, so who am I to get in their way. Even if she does have a bubble for a head..." She answers without looking away from the computer screen.

"What are you doing?"

"Using your Facebook."

"To do what, exactly?"

"I'm adding friends, because you haven't added anyone from here."

"Yeah, I have!"

"Only ten of your sixty friends are from here. Another problem is that you only have sixty friends. Don't you ever use your Facebook?"

"No... Didn't have the time. I didn't really want to, anyway."

"You know it would have been easier to keep in touch with me if you had used it more often. I'm an avid Facebook user." She says proudly.

"I can tell." I tease. "But I guess it might have been easier to keep in touch. I had no idea Facebook even had instant messaging."

"Blimey, 'Mione. Were you living under a rock over there in the States?" I scoot over on the bed so I can sit next to her and watch her use my Facebook. I watch her as she sends Lavender and Cho friend requests.

"You didn't tell me Fleur was pregnant!" I say as soon as she searches Fleur's name.

"Goodness, how did I forget about that? Well, yes. She's five months along, I think."

"Are you excited to be an auntie?" I ask excitedly.

"A little... Who am I kidding? I'm ecstatic!" She can't contain her glee.

"I should see your family soon. I've been here for three weeks and I've only seen you and Ron."

"You'll see them soon enough. Dad's been working a lot and Mum's been busy with baby preparations. Fred and George might be at Draco's on Saturday, just depends if they can close up the shop early. Wait, what about Draco? Have you added him?" She switches topics suddenly. There she goes again with mentioning things that I don't want to hear. I'm about to scold her for it when I remember that I haven't told her about my recent... reactions to Malfoy.

"No, why would I have added him?"

"I guess you're right. You had no reason to do so before. But now we're all friends, so Facebook is safe ground." She types in Malfoy's name in the search bar and sends him a friend request. I actually hold my breath as she clicks 'send friend request'.

"I honestly had no idea that he had a Facebook. I figured he wouldn't want to make use of one."

"He doesn't use it as excessively as I do, but he does use it more than Ron." I simply nod. Every time she sends a friend request to someone, she starts up a conversation about that person, updating me on his or her life. For instance, Seamus really did end up as a pyrotechnician, Pavarti and Padma were informed of their arranged marriages in April, Fred and George opened up their own joke shop two years ago, and Neville and Luna got engaged last October.

"They're engaged?!" I yell. "I thought Neville and Hannah Abbott were together. They were together for the longest time."

"They were. Hannah broke up with him right before she left for college, spewing some nonsense about how it 'wasn't going to work out'."

"Poor Neville... But he and Luna? Engaged? October of last year, they hadn't even finished school!"

"They got _engaged,_ not married. You don't have to marry right after you get engaged. Ron told me that Neville is waiting until he and Luna have found stable jobs."

"What did Luna study at college, anyway?"

"Art. She's a superb painter. Her works are amazing. She'll probably end up free-lancing."

"So what does Neville do?"

"Well right now he's working as his herbology professor's assistant. He goes on a lot of research trips and he brings Luna with him. They're quite cute, actually. But I think it'll be a while until they finally settle down."

"That's really surprising. Engaged at twenty-two... Twenty-one for Luna... They're so young."

"They might be young, but they know they want to spend the rest of their lives with each other."

"So if Harry proposed to you this year, would you say yes?"

"In a heartbeat."

"Really?"

"I don't have any reason to say no. I love him, he loves me. I want to spend forever with him and if he decides that he wants the same, then why the hell not?"

"Don't you think that would be rushing things?"

"Rushing would be if we got engaged tomorrow and then married next month. I feel like we're old enough and wise enough to know when we are or aren't ready for something that important."

"I suppose you have a point."

"Well, I should probably go. I've got to wake up early tomorrow. Volunteering at the hospital." She gets up and stretches her body.

"Yeah, Harry told me about that. I'll walk you to the door." We walk downstairs and she says goodbye to my parents on her way out.

"It was great to finally have our girl time." She steps outside.

"It was." We hug each other goodbye.

"See you Saturday." She gets into her car and drives off. Shit, Saturday is only a few days away and I haven't figured out what I'm wearing OR what I'm giving him for his birthday. I'll go to the mall and Gigi's on Friday. For a millisecond, I consider the chance of running into Malfoy again but I brush the thought away. The odds of running into him this Friday aren't high. I didn't see him last week. But then again, I wasn't in town last Friday... Besides, he'll probably be with his Mum that day tasting cheese samples or something. I laugh quietly at my own little joke. I hear a noise come from my laptop when I return to my bed. Jacob has instant messaged me on Facebook, which is curious because it's only about five o'clock in the states and we usually speak to each other when it's around twelve AM over here.

Jacob Schwitter: well, hello there  
Hermione Granger: don't you have work right now?  
Jacob Schwitter: manager gave me an 8-hour shift today. thank God.

Hermione Granger: lucky you  
Jacob Schwitter: no. lucky YOU. you get to deal with me for a longer amount of time this evening  
Hermione Granger: lucky me :)

We talk every other night. He'll usually email me right after he gets out of work, then our conversation continues on Facebook. He asks me about my day and I ask about his. Tonight we talk about our friends because I had mentioned Ginny. We usually talk for hours and he'll be the one to tell me to go sleep because it's late, but tonight is different. I'm the one who decides it's time to go to bed.

Jacob Schwitter: I really love talking to you

My chest tightens and I stare at the message for a full minute without saying anything. I stare at the letters of the words that form the sentence until my vision blurs. Until the sentence is nothing but a small black blob on my screen.

Jacob Schwitter: are you still there?

I have to say something. He'll think that I don't like talking to him.

Hermione Granger: I love talking to you too

Seeing my words typed out, on the computer screen for him to see forms a lump in my throat. Because I really do love talking to him. Talking to him is one of the better parts of my day, especially with the past three stress-filled weeks. He's sweet. I listen to him and he listens to me. I let him listen to me. I let him _know_ me. What have I gotten myself into?

Hermione Granger: I'm going to go to sleep now  
Jacob Schwitter: okay. you're actually going to bed for once :)  
Hermione Granger: I'll talk to you soon  
Jacob Schwitter: goodnight, Hermione  
Hermione Granger: goodnight, Jacob

I sign off right away to get ready for bed, because all I want to do is sleep and not think about it.

**Draco's POV**

Fuck all this party planning. Whenever my mother calls me into the living room for tea, she has something else to discuss. The only thing I ever want to do is rip all my hair out. I don't want to choose table settings or sample wines or argue whether round or rectangular tables are more appropriate. If I had my way, I'd invite a few friends over for dinner and beer. We could sit in the den for hours and do nothing but waste time and enjoy each other's company. But this is my mother's last wish before I move out. Before I finally move my arse out of this God-forsaken house and into my own flat. I love Mum and Dad, but they're suffocating and the worst part is that they're entirely too comfortable with suffocating me.

"Make sure you're home for dinner tonight, sweetheart. We have to make sure everything is ready for tomorrow." Mum says from behind me as I fix my tie around my neck.

"Yes, Mum." I don my suit jacket and turn around to kiss her on the cheek.

"Have a good day at work. Tell your father not to come home too late."

"I will."

After a long and busy day, I'm finally set free from work at around 5:30. Before I leave, I walk down the long and empty hallway to my father's office. I knock before I enter.

"Yes." I hear him say on the other side of the door. I crack open the door just a bit so that only the top half of my body is in his office. He's sitting at his desk, reading through some papers.

"Dad."

"Draco." He says without looking up from his work.

"Mum told me to tell you to not come home too late tonight." He looks up at me then.

"I wouldn't dare. Lest I'd like to suffer your mother's wrath." I snicker and I see a small smirk appear on his face. "Thank God the party is tomorrow. I don't know if I'd be able to take much more of her bloody planning." I give him a smirk of my own. "Well, you best be going. Unless you'd like to be hanged before your own birthday party."

"I wouldn't dream of it." I say, which makes him chuckle.

"See you at home." He dismisses me.

The weather outside is too warm to be wearing a suit so I take my jacket off, roll up my sleeves to my elbows, and undo my tie completely in order to unbutton the first few buttons of my shirt. Without thinking, I walk up the street and find myself at Café l'Amour. God knows what I'm doing here... Well, Mum did say to be home for dinner so technically, I have some time to kill before I really need to be home. I half expect to see Granger sitting alone at her table with her tea and croissant, but she isn't there. I sit down where I would normally sit, at her table in the seat across from hers. The waiter from last time is working again and he comes to the table.

"Hi again. I'm Luke, by the way."

"Draco Malfoy." I offer my hand and he shakes it.

"Malfoy, huh? You own the big building down the road?"

"My father's firm."

"That's really impressive. My mum loves the makeup products your company sells." He smiles good-naturedly.

"I'm glad. My mother would be happy to hear that."

"Are you meeting Hermione?"

"Wha? No. No, I'm not." His question catches me off guard.

"Well, I'm assuming she'll be here soon. She comes almost every single Friday afternoon. She wasn't here last week, so there's a ninety-nine point nine percent chance that she'll be here today." I stare at him blankly, unsure of what I'm supposed to say. "Anyway, can I get you anything?"

"A large cup of coffee, please."

"Cream and sugar?"

"Could you just give me the cream and sugar on the side? I don't like much of either in my coffee."

"Sure." He nods.

"Thanks." When he leaves, I take my phone out of my pocket to check the time – 5:45. I log onto Facebook and see that I have a friend request. From Hermione Granger. I smirk at my cellphone screen and click 'accept'. I peruse her profile but it doesn't have much information to offer, as expected from Granger. I place my phone on the table. Luke brings my coffee and I cautiously add a little cream and sugar so I can get the right taste. The coffee here is quite delicious.

"You're seated at my table." A voice says from behind me.

"Hello to you too, Granger." I say without turning around. She walks around the table, places the bags she's carrying on the ground, and sits down.

"Hi." A smirk is playing at her lips. "Wasn't expecting to see you here. I thought you would have been with your mother getting ready for tomorrow."

"She wants me home soon, actually. But I found myself here after work. I need a lot of coffee if I plan to finalize plans with my mother."

"How long have you been here?"

"Not long. Your friend Luke was under the impression that I was meeting you here."

"Did he now?" I nod, as her cheeks turn pink. I have to try very hard not to smile at that. Luke suddenly comes out of the café with a cup of tea and a croissant.

"Here you go, Hermione. I had a feeling you'd come by today." He places the tea and croissant in front of her. She smiles widely at him.

"Thanks, Luke." He smiles and nods his head once. He gives me a look, and then heads back into the café.

"Shopping?" I ask, looking at the two shopping bags at her feet.

"I had to find something nice to wear for your bloody semi-formal attired wedding reception of a birthday party." She sighs exasperatedly then grins.

"Well, I'm glad you found something." I pause. "Speaking of finding things... Have you found a job?"

"No, I haven't." Her brow furrows in frustration. Before I can say anything more, she quickly adds, "I'm giving myself one more week."

"Okay. Give me a ring if you need anything." I pat my phone.

"I'm not sure I can do that..." She says slowly.

"And why is that?" I ask, confused.

"Well, you see, Malfoy, normally when you call someone, you dial his or her phone number. And the trick to that is to actually have that person's phone number." She says matter-of-factly.

"Oh." I laugh. "Right." She reaches for her purse and takes her cellphone out.

"May I please have your phone number?" And so I give it to her. She carefully punches the numbers into her phone. "Thank you."

"Your phone is actually ancient, Granger. You need a new one."

"I don't NEED a new one."

"Well, if you decide to work in Dad's company, you'll be needing a smartphone. Email notifications are big in the workplace."

"IF I decide. Considering I have not decided to ask you for help, I don't need one."

"You have not decided to ask for my help YET." I smirk. She quirks an eyebrow at me and shakes her head, smiling. She then presses a button on her phone and my phone starts ringing. She presses a button on her phone again and the ringing stops.

"Now you have my phone number." I pick up my phone and save the number to my contact list.

"We're friends now, by the way."

"I was under the impression that we've been friends since the very first time we sat here... but it's an honor." I laugh.

"I mean we're friends on Facebook now. I accepted your friend request a few minutes ago."

"Oh. Well, then that's an even bigger honor." It's her turn to laugh. My phone rings. Narcissa Malfoy.

"Sorry, I have to take this. It's my mum." She nods and I answer the phone call. "Hi Mum."

"Sweetheart, you should be here now. We have much to discuss. Are you on your way home?"

"Uh... yeah, I am." I lie.

"Alright. Did your father leave the office? He didn't answer when I called."

"He was finishing some paperwork when I left. He said he'd come home once he was finished. I gotta go, Mum. I'm driving."

"Right, right. Okay, see you in a bit, dear." She hangs up. I groan in frustration.

"Better finish that coffee so you're energized." Granger says.

"Yeah. I've got a long night ahead of me." I stand up and reach into my back pocket to fetch my wallet.

"Don't you dare." She warns. She puts seven pounds on the table. I smile at her. "Thank you for paying for me last time." She quietly adds.

"Thanks. And you're welcome." She won't meet my eyes.

"See you tomorrow." She looks up at me through her eyelashes.

"See you tomorrow." I smile and turn to leave. From my peripheral, I see her gather her things as I walk down the road.

My mother is bustling about the house when I get home. She's hired several maids to tidy up the house. I'm not sure why, though, because our live-in housekeeper, Grace, keeps the house immaculate at all times.

"Draco. Good, you're finally home. Come, let's sit." She takes my arm, sits me down in the living room, and goes over all the plans for tomorrow. She goes through her checklist of things that we've done: called the caterer, ordered the cake, rented the tables and chairs, picked up the table settings, bought the decorations, chosen the wines... The list seems to go on forever. We have dinner when my father comes home, which is half an hour after I got home. The discussion continues during the second half of dinner. It's almost eleven o'clock when we finally finish. Dad had escaped from the discussion an hour ago.

"I'm exhausted, Mum. I'm going to go to bed." I stand and my joints ache from sitting on the couch for so long. I bend down to kiss her cheek. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, dear." I leave the room and make the excessively long trip to my room on the third floor. I prepare for sleep in my excessively large bathroom. I slip under my excessively expensive bed sheets on my excessively large bed. I love this house, but it's so large that it makes me feel lonely. Lonelier than I already feel. No one is ever here. I hate coming home after work to a large, basically empty house. This house is too big for three people, four including Grace. No one really comes to visit except for Auntie Bella. We only ever have guests when there's an excessively large party. The house is apparently too intimidating. At least, that's what Harry had told me once, right after the first and only time he came over for dinner. I don't blame him. This house is monstrous. And my father isn't a very welcoming chap, either... I can't wait to move into my own flat, closer to where everyone is. I can cook dinners with Astoria. I'll be able to see Blaise and Theo more often. I smile, just thinking about sitting in the living room of my flat, drinking beer, and wasting time with Harry and Ron. And Ginny. And Granger.

Hermione Granger. Who would have ever thought I would want to drink beer and waste time with her? Who would have ever thought I would actually enjoy her company? She's much more different than I thought she would be. She's really something else.

I can't keep my eyes open anymore so I drift off to sleep.

**AN: I wanted to delve more into their emotions. Loneliness is horrible feeling. They're both so confusing, right? Especially Hermione. Crazy girl. Even though it's much easier for me to write in Hermione's POV (because I'm a girl and it's easier to convey girly emotions) I enjoy writing in Draco's POV. It was nice finally including Lucius and Narcissa. I'm a big fan of the Malfoys, even though Lucius can be such a doodoo head. It was doubly nice to write Draco's thoughts before falling asleep. So anyway, next chapter is the party.**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: **Hello all. I got amazing constructive criticism from one **warner905**. Not sure how I'm feeling about how this chapter turned out. I like the ending though, very cute. I'm not that great of a writer but I'm going to work at making this story better.

_It's Been a While: _Chapter 9

**Draco's POV**

I groggily get out of bed and wander downstairs to see all the maids running around, preparing the house. I pull at the string of a balloon tied to the stair banister. Happy birthday party to me.

"Draco, dear, you sleep in much too late." Mum appears in the entrance hall.

Yawning, I say, "You could have woken me."

"I wanted you to have your rest. Well, let's get started on the day, shall we?"

"Can't I eat first?" I follow her to the kitchen.

"Quickly. Time is precious." She looks around the room and calls, "Grace! Grace, where are you?" I fix myself a bowl of cereal, because it's the only thing I'm not lazy enough to prepare. Grace enters the kitchen; she and Mum are discussing tonight's meal so I tune them out. I want to eat my breakfast in peace. When I finish my cereal, I search for my mother. She's outside in the backyard supervising the workers as they set up the tables and chairs.

"So, Mum, do you need me to do anything?"

"Could you make a few phone calls for me?" She hands me a sheet of paper. "Call the caterer and tell him to be here by no later than three o'clock. Ask him how many servers he's bringing and make sure he's bringing at least twenty."

"Isn't that a bit much?"

"Well we need people to serve the wine while everyone is getting their dinner. Call the bakery to see if the cake will be ready by 2:30."

"Does it need to be picked up?"

"Grace will do it. Oh and please call your Auntie Bella. I need help supervising these workers since your father is hiding away in his study." I do as I'm told. Aunt Bella arrives not even an hour after I called her.

"Draco, happy birthday." She kisses me on the cheek.

"Thank you, Auntie. Mum's outside." She leaves me and I go to the kitchen to look for Grace. "Grace, I'm going to pick up the cake."

"Your mother said I would be the one to pick it up."

"I'd like to do it." I whisper conspiratorially, "I need to escape." The corners of her eyes crinkle as she laughs.

"As you wish, dear." I leave her to her work so that I can change. I leave the house just as the caterer arrives. I discretely direct him and his workers to the backyard so that my mother doesn't see me leave.

The bakery is in London proper in a section that I never really visit, but we've always been loyal customers. Two workers carefully load the cake into the trunk of my car. It's a large sheet cake with the words 'Happy 23rd birthday and Congratulations, Draco' iced on it. I drive carefully so not to ruin the cake and I ask a maid help me carry it into the house. As I'm leaving the kitchen, my mother stops me.

"Draco, you aren't ready yet?" She and Aunt Bella are already dressed up in their semi-formal attire.

"Oh. I'll go get ready now." I take my time in the shower, mostly because I have nothing better to do. I find one of my suits neatly hung on my closet door. Grace had it dry-cleaned. I take a copious amount of time getting ready, making sure my mother will approve of my appearance. I hear the slams of car doors just as someone knocks on my door.

"Draco, your guests are arriving." It's Grace.

"I'll be right down." I hear the shuffle of her feet as she walks away. As I'm walking down the stairs, I hear Grace barking orders at the maids and the clinking of silverware. There aren't many people when I step outside onto the patio, just some relatives: the Blacks, the Tonkses, and the Lestranges. The Parkinsons and the Flints have also arrived. I say my hellos to all of them then sit with Pansy and Marcus. We talk a little bit, but the two are in their own world, too busy talking about their upcoming nuptials. God knows why they're getting married to young. Gradually, more and more people begin to arrive. I stand with my parents, greeting everyone that enters the backyard. Soon enough, the backyard is filled with chatter.

"Draco, hi. Happy birthday." Astoria greets me with a smile as the rest of her family says hello to my parents. She hands me a small gift box.

"Thank you." I kiss her on the cheek.

"When you're finished greeting your guests, come find me? We'll sit together."

"Yes, of course." I flash her a smile. Blaise and Theo crowd me for a bit when they arrive, seemingly much more excited than I am for the evening's festivities.

"Please tell me we're doing something interesting tonight. I'm not sure I can take sitting with all our parents the whole time." Theo whines.

"Are you barking mad? The only reason why we can't do anything interesting tonight is because they're all here. Unless..."

"No. No 'unless', Blaise. We can do whatever we want as soon as I get my own flat." I scold him.

"Alright, alright. Well, we'll leave you alone for now. More of your guests have arrived." Blaise and Theo politely nod a hello to Ron and Ginny as they approach.

"Happy birthday, Draco." Ginny kisses my cheek and hands a gift bag to me. "There are actually two gifts in there: one is from Ron and I, the other is from Mum. I'm sure you can figure out which is from whom.

"Thanks, Gin."

"Happy birthday, Ferret." Ron hugs me and claps me on the back.

"Thank you, Weasel." I laugh. "Fred and George coming?"

"No, they can't make it. They told me to wish you a happy birthday, though." Ron answers.

I nod then ask warily, "And where's Harry and Hermione?"

"They should be here soon. I think Harry overslept his nap." Ginny explains and rolls her eyes.

"Hello, Ron and Ginny." Mum says from beside me. I'm fairly alarmed by her sudden appearance.

"Hello, Mrs. Malfoy."

"I'm going to borrow my son for a little while." She links her arm with mine.

"Go find a table, I'll join you a bit." I say to them as my mother whisks me away. She brings me to join my father at the front and center of the congregation. A server hands the three of us glasses of champagne.

My father begins, "Today, we celebrate not only my son's twenty-third birthday, but also his graduation from college. In all his twenty-three years of life, he has worked himself to the bone in order to make something of himself. He continually strives for excellence. I know more times than most, I have not shown my appreciation for his hard work." He turns to me and Mum squeezes my hand. "And I know that this one toast will not make up for the thousands of other times you haven't heard it, but your mother and I want you to know that we are so proud of you. We are proud of everything you've done and everything you've become." He raises his glass to me. "Happy birthday, son. And well done."

I clink my glass with his and say, "Thank you." My teary-eyed mother clinks her glass with mine.

"We love you very much, sweetheart. Even when we don't say it. Especially when we don't say it." She kisses my cheek and my father claps my shoulder as all the guests clink their glasses and drink. I leave my parents to find Astoria. As we're walking to join Ron and Ginny at their table, Harry and Hermione arrive. Harry quickly joins us. I take a quick peek behind him to see Hermione dressed in dark red dress that flows to her knees.

**Hermione's POV**

"Ginny just texted me. She said Draco's father just started making a toast."

"Shit. We're probably missing out on the very first sentimental words that have ever left Lucius Malfoy's mouth." Harry says, opening the car door for me.

"You're the one who made us late, so you better explain to Malfoy why that is."

"I wouldn't count on that happening." We walk quickly up the long driveway leading to the Malfoys' home. Even from all the way the end of the driveway, the house is overwhelmingly large.

"Have you ever been here?"

"Just once, for dinner. Draco never invited me again because Lucius wasn't very welcoming."

"Was he mean to you?"

"No. He was nice enough. He just wasn't welcoming. I suppose Draco assumed I found him intimidating."

"Well did you?"

"God, yes." We stop to catch our breath when we reach the front of the house. "Draco said they'd be in the back." We take a narrow cobblestone path alongside the house to the backyard. There are at least ten large round tables set up. An impressively sized gazebo covers the entire space. I honestly had no idea they made gazebos this large. Soft music plays in the background of all the chattering. I see Ron and Ginny immediately, but Harry looks carefully for Malfoy. "There he is." Astoria Greengrass walks closely beside him.

He is dressed to the nines. I've never seen a man dressed so nicely in my entire life. The suit he's wearing is different from the suit I've seen him wear to work. Then again, whenever I saw him after work, he had his tie loosened and he was never wearing his suit jacket. Perhaps he's dressed like this all the time and I didn't realize it. He's so neatly put together and with Astoria's beautiful self next to him, I feel a little self-conscious of how I look. She looks gorgeous in her navy blue peplum dress and silver heels. I stand a few steps back from Harry to straighten out my dress.

Harry greets him, "Happy birthday, stupid git. You're so bloody old already." He puts his arm around Malfoy's shoulder.

"Not much older than you, you twit." Malfoy pushes him off. "But thank you." He hands Malfoy a poorly wrapped box.

"Wrapped it myself." He smiles proudly.

"I'm sure he can tell, Harry." I scoff. "Sorry we're late. Somebody took too long to get ready."

Harry interjects, "I was taking a nap, okay?" I shake my head at him.

"Anyway, happy birthday." I smile and feel my cheeks warm as I hand him the gift bag. I quickly turn my attention to Astoria then say, "You must be Astoria. We've never actually met. I'm Hermione." I offer my hand and she shakes it.

"I don't need to be introduced to know who you are." Astoria smiles as she says it. "Our high school teachers never stopped talking about you, even after you graduated. And I'm sure they're still talking about you. Glad we are finally able to meet." Ron and Ginny meet the four of us in line at the buffet table and after we're seated, Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, and Daphne Greengrass join us. Soon enough, our whole table is laughing and having a good time.

Narcissa Malfoy greets Harry and me when she comes to retrieve Malfoy for the cake-cutting. All of the guests sing 'Happy Birthday' loudly; our table sings the loudest, as expected. Malfoy blows the candles on his cake and cuts the first slice. He rejoins the table and leaves the rest of the cutting to the servers. We all enjoy a slice of cake. Then, a few couples begin to slow dance on the patio; I only recognize Malfoy's parents and Pansy Parkinson with Marcus Flint.

"I didn't know Pansy and Marcus Flint were an item." I blurt out.

"Not many people do." Malfoy says.

"Believe it or not, they're getting married soon." Blaise adds. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and I stare at him in shock. "You didn't hear it from me."

"It's not like it's a big secret, Blaise. Don't be such a gossip." Theodore says and we all laugh. Harry stands and offers Ginny his arm; she takes it and they join the dancing couples on the patio. Daphne asks Blaise to dance with her and he obliges. Theodore stands up and walks up to girl I don't recognize, who is seated a few tables away, and they too join the couples on the patio. My eyes train themselves on Malfoy and Astoria, waiting to see if they'll stand up. Astoria looks toward the patio then stares at Malfoy. He says something to her and she smiles as he takes her hand. I stare at them as they walk away.

Ron stands up and says, "May I have this dance, 'Mione?"

"Of course you may." I stand and take his hand. "I thought you hated dancing." I say to him as we start to slowly dance in a circle.

"I do." He shrugs. "But you don't." I smile widely at him. "Have you been okay, 'Mione? You haven't seemed like yourself." The concern in his voice is endearing.

"I'm okay, Ron. Don't worry about it." If only he knew what sort of craziness has been going on with me.

"Are you sure? You seem... sad." I don't know how to respond to that.

I sigh, unable to lie to him, and simply say, "I'm just a little envious, that's all. Envious of what many of these people have." He looks at me with a confused expression. "If Lavender had been here, I wouldn't have had anyone to dance with." A look of understanding crosses his face and he kisses the top of my head lightly.

"You'll find him soon, 'Mione. Just you wait. You'll find him when you aren't even looking for him. He'll be lucky to love you and he'll be even luckier to have you love him back." He says quietly. I have to choke back a sob. When the song is over, Ron and I walk back to the table along with Blaise, Daphne, and Theodore. We start talking about high school while drinking the tea that has been served to us.

"It's odd thinking that we weren't friends at all during those times. We never spoke to each other. Yet here we are, four years later, having a good time at Draco Malfoy's birthday party." Daphne says and we all nod in agreement. After talking through the duration of two more songs, Malfoy, Astoria, Harry, and Ginny return to the table and join in on the conversation.

The evening comes to a close at around ten o'clock. Most of the large families have already gone when we say our goodbyes. Daphne leaves to join her family when the rest of us walk to the front of the house.

"Nice seeing you lot." Blaise says, shaking Harry's hand.

"We'll see each other again soon?" Theodore asks.

"Yes, of course." Harry answers. "When Draco moves into his flat, I'll make sure he organizes a house warming party." Malfoy gives Harry a pointed look then smiles. Blaise and Theodore wave goodbye as they walk down the driveway.

Malfoy turns to Harry and says, "Thank you for volunteering my flat, which is currently nonexistent, for a get-together, Potter." Harry and Ron pull Malfoy aside and launch into a conversation about his plans for his new living situation.

"It was good seeing you again, Astoria." Ginny says.

"We haven't seen each other since April, am I right?"

"I believe so... How has your summer been? It looks like you've caught some sun."

"It's been great. I've gone to the beach a few times with some friends and Daphne. How's your summer?"

"Good. I've been volunteering at the hospital, actually."

"Have you really? Well, you do amazing work with your patients."

"Thanks." Ginny smiles brightly. " So, has Draco been treating you well?" Ginny, why must you always do this to me. The conversation was going so well.

"He's such a gentleman. We haven't been spending much time together lately, though. He's been so busy with work." She sighs. "I wanted to see him yesterday, but he said he needed to help his Mum with something right after work." I freeze up when she says this. I saw Malfoy yesterday before he went home...

"What're you talking about?" Malfoy interrupts their conversation, but he's looking right at me. I'm fiddling with my necklace again.

"Oh, nothing. Just about how gentlemanly you are." Astoria says sweetly and takes his arm. His eyes slowly look away from me and to Astoria. He smiles, but his smile doesn't reach his eyes.

"Well, we should go." Harry is looking strangely at me. "Happy birthday, Draco."

"Thanks for today, mate." Ron says.

"No, thank you all for coming." Malfoy says. Ginny kisses him and Astoria on the cheek.

"Nice to finally meet you, Hermione." Astoria says to me.

"Likewise." I give her the most genuine smile I can muster. I look at Malfoy and say, "Happy birthday." He doesn't say anything, but he smiles a small smile.

As Harry, Ginny, Ron, and I walk away, Ginny says, "See you both next week, right? We agreed that we would go to the club."

"Oh?" Astoria looks as if she hasn't been informed.

"Right. I forgot to tell you, Astoria. Next Saturday, are you free? Ginny wants us all to spend time together." Malfoy says to her.

Astoria smiles and says, "We'll see you then." Ginny skips happily the rest of the way down the driveway to our cars. We say our goodbyes.

"So are you alright? You looked a little uncomfortable when Ginny and Astoria were talking." Harry asks as soon as we're in the car.

"I don't know what you mean." He quirks an eyebrow at me. I sigh. "Everything is fine. Idunno why I felt uncomfortable."

"What were they talking about?"

"Astoria said she had wanted to meet with Malfoy yesterday; he said he couldn't because he had to be with his Mum after work. But... I saw him at the café after he got out of work yesterday..."

"So you feel uncomfortable knowing that you saw him when Astoria wanted to see him but couldn't?"

"I guess." I can see smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

**Draco's POV**

After saying goodbye to Harry, Astoria and I wait for her family in front of the house.

"I had a lovely time, Draco."

"As did I."

"You're friends are charming."

"I wouldn't call them charming, per se. But yeah, they're great." She laughs at this.

"Hermione attended college in the States, right?"

"Yes, in New York."

"What did she study?"

"Business."

"Like you." She smiles up at me. "Brilliant people think alike."

"What do you mean? And why the sudden interest in Hermione Granger?"

"I've always admired her. And you. It's an odd coincidence that the two people who inspired me the most ended up studying the same exact thing."

"I've never been considered on the same par as Hermione Granger."

"You really have no idea how brilliant you are." I bend down to kiss her chastely on the lips.

"Thank you." I return to the backyard after seeing her off. The caterer and his servers are cleaning up and my parents are sitting next to each other on the patio. I sit across from them. "Thank you for today. For arranging all this even though you didn't have to."

"Of course we had to, dear. How could we not celebrate your success? Your father and I are so proud."

"We got you something." Dad says. Mum smiles and sits up as Dad fishes a sheet of paper from his pocket. "We found a flat for you."

"But-" I interrupt, but he cuts me off and hands me the paper. There's an address on it.

"We found a few flats you might like, all in London proper. A friend of mine, Cornelius Fudge, owns a few buildings with vacancies. We know very well that you wanted to do this on your own. But we also know that you've been hesitant to look around. We're just trying to push you on your way. I told him you'd meet tomorrow to take a look at a few." I'm at a loss of words.

"I can meet with him tomorrow?"

"Yes, tomorrow!" Mum exclaims.

Dad adds, "If you find a place you like, I would assume that you could move in by the end of the week. If you really want to, that is."

"Really?"

"Really." He smiles the smile I almost never see. "Meet him at that address tomorrow at eleven o'clock. He said he'd be waiting for you in the lobby."

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

"You better get to bed if you want to find your flat tomorrow." He says as they both stand up.

"Goodnight, sweetheart. Happy birthday." Mum kisses the top of my head.

Dad places a hand on my shoulder and says, "Happy birthday." I say goodnight and they walk hand-in-hand into the house. I have a stupid grin plastered on my face the entire way up to my room. Grace meets me at the top of the stairs.

"Happy birthday, Draco. I'm sorry I didn't give this to you on your real birth date. Your mother had me so busy this week so I didn't have time to finish them." She hands me a gift box. "The rest of your gifts have already been brought to your room."

"Thank you, Grace." I give her a hug then she shuffles down the hallway to her wing of the house.

The gifts have been arranged neatly at the foot of my bed. I change out of my suit and sit in front of the gifts. I open the gift from Grace first; she's given me a set of handkerchiefs with my initials stitched on them. I know she stitched the initials herself because she had done so with the handkerchiefs she had given to Dad last year. Blaise and Theo invested in a large set of shot glasses that have suits and ties printed on them. The note attached to the box reads _'For our business man of a friend. Let's put these to good use soon. Happy birthday. – Blaise and Theo'_. I receive several neckties from family friends. Did everyone agree to give me career-related presents?

I pick up the gift bag from Ron and Ginny. The first thing I pull out is a ratty woolen sweater with a large letter 'D' stitched in the middle. This is unmistakably Molly Weasley's knitting. I smile knowing I've finally acquired one. I pull two chambray shirts from the bag: one in blue, the other in gray. Finally, someone's given me something I can wear when I'm not working.

I open the small box from Astoria. Inside are set of sterling silver cufflinks with a matching tie clip, all monogrammed with my initials. They're simple and very attractive. There's no doubt in my mind that I would use them.

I move onto the sad excuse for a wrapped present from Harry. Inside is a plain white t-shirt and I can see a bit of printed text on it. I read the note he left on top of it. '_An article of clothing that will help you remember that you don't always have to dress up like a snobby business man. It will also help you remember me. Happy birthday, Drakie booboo. – Harry'_. I cautiously unfold the t-shirt and I almost drop it in disgust. In large black print, it says 'I AM HARRY POTTER'S BEST FRIEND'.

The last thing I have left to open is the gift bag from Granger. I was more than a little surprised when she handed it to me since I didn't think she would have gone out of her way to get me something, especially because I didn't think she would actually think of something to buy. The little notecard taped to the bag says _'Because I thought your other one needed a friend. – HG'_. What does she mean by 'other one'? I quickly pull out the contents of the bag. It's a small stuffed dog. A yellow Labrador retriever to match the chocolate Labrador sitting in the back windshield of my car.


	10. Chapter 10

_It's Been a While_: Chapter 10

**Draco's POV**

By five o'clock on Sunday, I'm sitting in Cornelius Fudge's office signing papers and putting a down payment on a flat.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Fudge."

"You're quite welcome, Mr. Malfoy. I'm sure your father will be most pleased with your selection. If you need anything or have any questions, don't hesitate to call me." He hands me the keys to my new flat as well as his business card. "Regards to your parents."

"I will. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon." He sees me out of his office. I feel a hop in my step as I walk back to my car. I can't believe I've just put a down payment on my own flat. My parents and I will have much to discuss over dinner.

**Hermione's POV**

"Please tell me you've had more luck than I've had finding a job." I say to Harry as we enter my room.

"A bit. I found somewhere with an opening in the fall. I had my interview, which ran spectacularly, and I'm crossing my fingers that I get the job. You really haven't found anywhere?"

"No." I groan.

"Just ask Draco, you stubborn woman. He'll be happy to help you."

"I suppose that's the only option I have now... Maybe in a few days."

"No. Don't give yourself a few more days. Ask him soon. Ask him tonight or tomorrow."

"Fine." I throw a pillow at him, but he catches it and throws it right back. "I'll call him later."

"Good." Harry's phone beeps. "Speak of the devil. He's sent me a text message. He just put a down payment on a flat!"

"That was fast. Tell him I said congratulations."

"Tell him yourself when you call to ask for a job." He smirks and I throw a pillow at him again. This time, he doesn't see it so he gets hit in the head. "Excuse me, I'm trying to send a text message." We hear Lily call for him downstairs. "Well, that's my cue. Let me know what Draco says. See you later." He kisses my cheek and leaves the room.

I wait half an hour to call Malfoy because I'm nervous, which I am embarrassed to admit. The phone rings three times. Four times. Five times. I'm about to hang up when he answers.

"Granger. And to what do I owe the honor of this phone call?" He drawls.

"Good evening, Malfoy. Am I interrupting anything?"

"No, not at all. Just finished dinner."

"Okay. Well, I called to ask about a job..."

"So you finally gave up looking?"

"I did. I've turned out more than unsuccessful."

"Hermione Granger does not turn out unsuccessful under any circumstance."

"Don't mock me, Malfoy. I was enjoying being friends." I smile at the sound of his laugh.

"I'll be able to find a position for you. It's just that I've just found a flat, so I'm going to be pretty busy this week, getting ready to move in and everything..."

"Harry told me about that. Congratulations."

"I'm really happy about it." I can hear the excitement in his voice. "Anyway, you'll just have to give me a few days. I'm sure I can find something for you by the end of the week and we can have you hired in no time."

"I really appreciate what you're doing for me. Thank you."

"It's really not a problem." The line goes quiet and for a second I start to think the call disconnected, but then he says, "Thank you." The tone of his voice has changed.

"For what?"

"For the stuffed dog." Heat rises to my cheeks.

"Oh. I really had no idea what to get you, but I remembered seeing that stuffed dog in your rear windshield the day I came back home. I didn't even know you liked dogs." I say quickly, biting the inside of my cheek. "But you're welcome."

"Well, I should go. I don't want to use up your time. I've been known to do that." He chuckles. "I'll let you know as soon as I secure I position for you."

"Thanks again, Malfoy."

"You're very welcome. Goodnight, Hermione." My face feels even warmer than before.

"Bye." But he's gone.

xxxxxxxxxx

The next morning, Mum shakes me awake.

"Sweetheart, you have a phone call." She places the phone in my hand then scurries out of the room.

"Hullo?" I croak.

"Hello, is this Hermione Granger?" The voice on the other line sounds familiar, but I can't quite place it. Maybe someone is calling me about a job application. I sit up.

"This is she. Who's calling?"

"Have you forgotten my voice already, Miss?" I almost drop the phone.

"Ja-Jacob?!" I screech.

"Good morning. Did you have a good night's sleep?"

"Jacob? Is this really you? How- how did you get the phone number to my house?"

"Yes, it's me. I called information and gave them your name."

"Aren't long distance calls expensive?"

"I wouldn't necessarily consider this phone call 'long distance'..."

"What are you on about, Jacob?"

"What will you be doing in an hour's time?"

"Idunno. Nothing... Why?"

"How would you like to show me around London?"

"You're joking."

"I'm not."

"You are not in London."

"I am. Would you like me to prove it? Check your email." I jump out of bed and open my laptop. Sure enough, there's an email from Jacob. Attached to the email is a picture of him in front of a large sign that says 'WELCOME TO LONDON, ENGLAND'.

"Welcome to London, England."

"I got a nice old man to take the picture for me when I got off the plane. So... what will you be doing in an hour's time?"

"Introducing you to my parents." I give him my address.

"See you soon." He hangs up and I bolt down the stairs.

"You'll never guess who I just spoke to." I say to my parents.

"The young man you met before we left." Mum answers.

"How did you know?"

"Sweetheart, of course I know. I wouldn't have given you the phone if I didn't know who was asking for you."

"Did you invite him here? I'd like to meet him before I even consider letting you go anywhere with him." Dad pipes up.

"Yes, of course, Dad."

"Good. Off you go. I'm sure you'd like to look nice for your visitor." I bolt back up the stairs, smiling to myself about Dad's protectiveness.

The doorbell rings when I'm coating my lips with lip balm. I quickly walk down the stairs to get to the front door before anyone else. I swing the door open and say, "Hi Jac- Harry?"

"Oh good, so you are home." He steps into the house. "Hi Mary, hi David!" He calls to them and goes to sit down on the couch. "You look awfully nice for someone who isn't doing anything today."

"Actually, I'm expecting some-" The doorbell rings. I rush to the door and open it.

"Hey." He's here. He's actually here, standing at my doorstep. In all his blonde-haired, blue-eyed glory.

"Hi." I say breathlessly. "Come in." I lead him to the living room. Harry is still sitting on the couch. "Erm. Jacob, this is my best friend, Harry. Harry, this is Jacob." Jacob puts his suitcase down and Harry stands. They shake hands.

"I'm sorry if I've interrupted any of your plans today." Jacob says.

"You haven't. Harry was just leaving." I shoot a look at Harry, hoping he understands that he needs to leave.

He narrows his eyes at me but says, "Right. I'll see you later, 'Mione." He kisses me on the cheek. "Nice meeting you, Jacob. I'm sure I'll see you around soon." I watch him through the window as he walks to his car.

"Hey." He says again.

"Hi." I say again. He gently reaches for my hand and I let him take it. "I'll introduce you to my parents." I lead him to the threshold of the kitchen then slip my hand out of his. "Mum, Dad. This is Jacob." Jacob approaches them and shakes both their hands.

"Hello, Jacob." Mum smiles at him. "Is this your first time in London?"

"No, ma'am. I've been here once before, but it was a long time ago." He answers politely.

"How do you know Hermione?" Dad asks coolly.

"To be honest, sir, I met her the day you left for the airport. I was one of the bellboys helping you move things out of your room. We were in the same graduating class at Columbia, though."

Dad's interest has been piqued. "You attended Columbia? What did you study?"

"History, sir."

"I see. Hermione's best friend, Harry, graduated with a degree in history. He was here just a moment ago..."

"He left, Dad." I say quickly. He nods.

"Well, Hermione's father and I have just prepared lunch. Would you like to join us?" Mum asks.

"I'd love to, ma'am." Mum sets four plates on the dining table and takes a plate of sandwiches from the refrigerator. Dad places a few condiments on the table. The four of us sit down and eat.

"So how long will you be staying here, Jacob?" Dad asks.

"Until Sunday evening, sir."

"And have you found a place to stay?"

"Yes, I have a hotel room reserved for the week. It's about halfway between here and the airport."

"Very good."

Mum looks at me and says, "Sweetheart, make sure you take Jacob site-seeing while he's here. He'll enjoy the history London has to offer."

"I will."

"Go on and have fun. Your father and I will take care of the dishes. Jacob, we'd love it if you would have dinner with us sometime this week."

"Of course, ma'am."

I turn to Jacob, "I'm just going to get my purse. Then we can go."

"Sure." Once I have my purse, we say goodbye to my parents and get into my car. "So what do you have planned for me?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to meet my friends."

"Well, sure. What did you have in mind?"

"Something in the British tradition." He looks at me speculatively. "Afternoon tea." He smiles.

"Sounds good to me." I make the short drive to Harry's house, park the car, and call his cellphone. He answers almost immediately.

"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeessss?"

"Harry, come outside."

"Bored of your American boy already?"

"Oh, shut it. Let's go to the café for tea." The line goes dead. Stupid git hung up on me. I'm about to call him back, but I feel one of the back doors being opened.

"Hello again, friends." Harry closes the car door.

"So you two are best friends AND neighbors?" Jacob turns in his seat to face Harry.

"Yes." Harry says, smiling widely.

"What is everyone else doing right now?" I ask.

"Ginny volunteers on Mondays, remember? And Ron and Draco should be at work."

"Damn. Well, they'll just have to go on their lunch breaks, won't they? Call them for me."

"Is she always this bossy?" Jacob asks, laughing.

"You have no idea." I stick my tongue out at Harry and he smirks at me. I start driving as he calls Ginny, Ron, and Malfoy. "Gin didn't even give me time to finish explaining. She'll probably be there before us. Ron said he'd be a little late; he's finishing up some work. And there was no answer from Draco; that bloke is too busy for his own good."

"That's alright. Two out of three is good for now." I silently thank God for my luck. I'm not sure how I'd handle the introduction of Jacob to Malfoy. It's better to be safe than sorry. "Malfoy will just have to meet him this weekend."

Harry, Jacob, and I walk down the very familiar road to the café. I point out certain things that Jacob may find interesting. Harry points out my favorite bookstore, informing Jacob that I 'spend most of my life in there', which earns him a slap on the arm. Ginny is already sitting at a table when we get to the café.

"Hello. I'm Ginny." Ginny stands and shakes Jacob's hand.

"Jacob. Very nice to meet you." Ginny quirks her eyebrow when she sees Jacob pulling my chair out for me. Ron arrives as soon as we sit down.

"Hey, Ron." Harry says as Ron joins us.

"Ron, this is Jacob. Jacob, this is Ron."

"Hey, mate." Ron shakes his hand. "Sorry I'm a bit late. Really had to finish the work I started."

"You weren't late. We just arrived ourselves." Harry explains.

"I've only got an hour for lunch." Ron says.

"Me too." Ginny adds. I see that Luke is working today so I call him over.

"Hi Luke."

"Hello, Hermione. Ginny. Harry. Ron. Nice seeing you all here. It's been a while."

"Luke, this is Jacob. He's visiting from New York."

"A friend from New York? Hello, Jacob." He pauses. "Where's that other friend of yours, Hermione?"

"Uh, what friend, Luke?" I stammer.

"That Malfoy guy. He's normally here with you." Luke smirks ever so slightly. I ignore the looks Ginny, Ron, and Harry are giving me.

I answer warily, "He's... he's at work, I think." Harry covers his mouth as he coughs once. I'm certain I see a smile hidden behind his hand.

"Sorry. Itchy throat." Harry glances in Luke's direction for a second. When I look back at Luke, he's walking into the café. He brings us some tea and croissants.

After he's gone, Ginny doesn't wait to begin her interrogation. I give Jacob a sympathetic look and mouth 'sorry' to him. He grins and continues answering Ginny's questions. When Ginny is done, he retaliates with his own round of questions, which Ginny takes delight in. He and Ron hit it off; they seem to have the same interests: food and TV.

Ron and Ginny give me a discrete nod of approval before they leave, which makes me smile. Harry and Jacob talk about history while we finish the rest of our tea, and while we walk back to the car, and while I drive back to Harry's house.

"Well, I'll finally let 'Mione have you. Thanks for putting up with us this afternoon." Harry says as he gets out of the car.

Jacob rolls down the window. "No, thanks for putting up with me." Harry smiles.

"Have fun site-seeing this week. See you two this weekend." Harry goes into the house.

"What's this weekend?" Jacob asks me.

"We're going to a club."

"I didn't know you liked clubs."

"I don't." I smile.

"Harry, Ron, and Ginny are going?"

"Yeah. Ron's girlfriend, too." Then I quickly add, "And our friend Draco Malfoy and his girlfriend."

"Your friends are great."

"They are. Most of the time." He laughs.

"Where are we off to next?"

"Let's go sit in the park." And so we do. We sit in my favorite park for hours and we talk about everything under the sun. The sky is pink and orange when we finally stand up to leave. "I should get you to your hotel." We travel in a comfortable silence with my hand lying on the center console and his hand lying on top of mine. When I pull up in front of the hotel, I say to him, "You're in for a long week, Jacob Schwitter."

"I look forward to spending it with you." He leans over then hesitates, his face just inches from mine. He gingerly kisses my cheek. "Goodnight." He gets out of the car and waves before he enters the building.

I exhale loudly and answer him, even though he's not in the car anymore. "Goodnight."

**Draco's POV**

After days of packing and preparation, Harry, Ron, Blaise, Theo, Ginny, and I are carrying boxes into my new flat.

"Thanks for helping me out today, guys. I really appreciate it." I say to them as we put the boxes in the soon-to-be living room.

"Not a problem. Anything for you, Drakie booboo." Harry says obnoxiously. The rest of them snicker loudly.

"Is that it?" Ginny asks, sitting down on the couch. "I hope it is, because I'm tired."

"Yeah, that's it." I settle down into an armchair. Harry and Ron sit on either side of Ginny; Blaise and Theo occupy the loveseat.

"How'd you acquire all this furniture so quickly, mate?" Ron sinks his body further into the couch cushions.

"Extra furniture from Auntie Bella's house."

"I wouldn't imagine this kind of furniture to be in your Aunt Bella's house." Theo says.

"Exactly. Which is why it's extra furniture."

"So why did she have it if she was never planning to use it?"

"Auntie Bella's best friend owns a custom furniture company. Apparently the couple that ordered all this divorced before they could move into their new house. The company couldn't trash the merchandise. It was all custom-made. So they sold everything to my aunt half-price. Luck of the draw, my friends." I smirk at them. We lounge around for a while. Blaise decide to leave when he sees Theo start to doze off.

"Do you need help unpacking these boxes?" Ginny asks, a yawn escapes her mouth.

I chuckle. "No, that's alright. I don't want you three to pass out from exhaustion. If I need help, you'll be the first to know." Both and Ginny and Ron have their eyes closed. I look to Harry. "Speaking of help, why wasn't Granger here today?"

"She's been with her American boy all bloody week. Haven't seen them since Monday." He's here in London? Since when? I don't let my composure slip because, for some reason, I can tell that Harry's trying to measure my reaction.

"So you've met him already?" I say coolly.

"We've all met him. Except you. We had tea with him on Monday. If you had answered my phone call that afternoon, maybe you would have been able to meet him too."

I feign disinterest. "So they've been out all week?"

"I suppose so." Harry's smirking at me. "'Mione said she was going to take him site-seeing most of this week."

"I see."

"So, uh... Where's Astoria?"

Guarded, I answer, "Spending the night at her family's beach house. Why?"

"Just wondering. I figured she would have been here helping." He pauses to check if Ginny and Ron are asleep. Then, with actual concern in his voice, he asks, "Is everything okay between you two? You seem liked you've put a bit of distance between yourselves."

"Idunno, mate. I've been so busy. Whenever she wants to spend time with me, I can't see her and whenever I'm free to see her, she's not in town. I like her and all, I'm just not sure if this is working out so well."

"What are you going to do? It's obvious she has very strong feelings for you."

"I know. I want things to work, but there's only so much I can do."

"Sounds like you're unsure of yourself. What's holding you back?"

"I wish I knew. Astoria is sweet and she's beautiful and she SHOULD be everything I want. I know I should be putting a lot more effort into our relationship, but I'm not." Harry opens his mouth to say something, but he stops himself. "What is it? You looked like you were about to say something."

He looks like he's deep in thought, but he only says, "Nothing. I'm sure you'll figure everything out soon."

"I hope so." He half-smiles then shakes Ginny and Ron awake.

"Come on, you two. Let's leave Draco to his unpacking." Ginny and Ron wave sleepily at me and walk to the front door. "Do you want me to help you? I can come back after I take them to their house. You're on my way back home anyway."

"It's alright. I'm just going to unpack my clothes tonight. I'll unpack everything else on Sunday. I'll let you know if I need help."

"Okay. We'll see you tomorrow, then." He shakes my shoulder a bit as he walks away. I lock the front door behind them. I put clean sheets on my bed before I begin to unpack my clothes. Unpacking is relatively easy because Grace was kind enough to neatly fold and organize my clothes in each box. I unpack until I'm too tired to focus on the task at hand, but when I lay in bed, ready to rest, my mind is too awake to go to sleep. What exactly is holding me back? I've no reason to NOT want to be with Astoria, right?

**AN: Okay, I feel like this chapter was fairly empty and unexciting... Maybe it's just because there wasn't much HermionexDraco interaction. Damn you Jacob for blinding her with your charming blonde hair and blue eyes and for stealing Hermione away for the whole week.**


	11. Chapter 11

It's Been a While: Chapter 11

**Hermione's POV**

This week has gone by way too fast for my liking. I've taken Jacob to every interesting place imaginable and we've spent more hours talking in my favorite park than I thought possible.

"How is it that we never run out of things to talk about?" I ask him as we walk back to my house. We just spent another hour in the park.

"I don't know." He takes hold of my hand and I smile at the contact.

"Did you enjoy your site-seeing today?"

"You have no idea. You can see everything from the top of the London Eye."

"Yeah, everything but the ground. I hate heights."

"Do you really? You should've told me. We didn't have to go."

"Well, I knew you'd enjoy it so I plucked up enough courage to get on that thing." He squeezes my hand.

"It was a good day."

"Well, the day isn't over yet. We still have dinner with my parents." He grins.

And dinner we have. Jacob is so good at talking to my parents. It's nice watching him smiling and laughing with them and I'm glad they like each other. But I never have to say anything. Ever. Even when Jacob met Harry, Ginny, and Ron... I don't remember talking much that afternoon. Everyone is probably just really enthusiastic about getting to know him. And he's just really enthusiastic about getting to know all of them.

"Your parents are so nice." He says when I pull up in front of the hotel.

"They like you."

"I'm glad. Do you like me?"

I pause for a beat before I answer. "Yes." I feel his hand take mine and he slowly leans toward me. This time he doesn't hesitate so I panic. I turn my head slightly away from him. His lips make contact with the corner of my mouth. Shit. He pulls away and lets go of my hand. I dare to look at him. He's staring out the windshield.

He turns to me and forces a smile. "Goodnight, Miss. I'll see you tomorrow evening."

"Right. I'll be here at nine..." He gets out of the car. "Goodnight." He waves then shuts the door. Shit. He was going to kiss me. He was going to kiss me and I didn't let him. Great way to end the night...

xxxxxxxxxx

I stay in my room all of Saturday afternoon, trying on different outfits for tonight. I only leave to use the bathroom and to have lunch. I start to tire of trying on clothes so I call Harry meaning to ask about the plans for tonight but I end up whining to him instead.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarry."

"Are you okay, 'Mione?" He sounds alarmed. "Do you need me to come over?"

"Nooo... He was going to kiss me last night."

"He was going to? What happened?"

"I didn't let him. I turned my head away at the last second."

"And why would you do that? I thought you liked him. Well, you should like him considering you spent the entire week with him."

"I panicked!"

"Did you not want him to kiss you?"

"I did! Well, I think I did. Idunno, Harry."

"You don't know?"

"I don't know. I like him. I do."

"So then let him kiss you next time."

"Help me. I don't know what to do. I'm scared it's going to be uncomfortable when I see him later."

"I can't really help you with this, 'Mione... I'm sure the poor bloke was knocked down a peg or two, but he came all the way across the pond to see you. I don't think he gives up easily. Everything will be fine. Just calm down."

"Okay..." I take a deep breath. "So where are we going tonight, exactly?"

"Well, we're meeting at Draco's flat at nine. Then Ron's going to drive all of us over to the club."

"I told Jacob I would pick him up from his hotel at nine. Can I just meet you there?"

"Yeah." He gives me the address.

"It doesn't seem to be a long ways off from Jacob's hotel."

"Good. See you later." I look at the mess of clothes that are piled on my bed. I need help picking an outfit. I know exactly who to call.

"Ginny."

"Hi 'Mione."

"What am I supposed to wear tonight?"

"Black."

"Black is boring."

"No. Black is sexy."

"Are you wearing black?"

"Yes. I'm sure Astoria will be wearing black too." Oh, right. Astoria's going.

"I only have one black dress."

"Is it tight and short?"

"Yeah..."

"Wear it."

"It's a bit too short for my liking. I'll probably wear stockings underneath."

"No. No way."

"But it's-"

"Don't argue, Hermione Jean Granger. You asked for my help, so you're getting it. I will make you go home and change if I see you wearing anything other than what I have just told you. I have to go. I'm still getting ready." She hangs up. STILL getting ready? It's only six o'clock. How long has she been getting ready for? I shake my head and laugh.

Do I dare test Ginny Weasley...? I dare not. I go through my pile of clothes to fetch my only black dress. It's form-fitting, has thin straps and a sweetheart neckline. How am I supposed to walk out in public with this little number on? Why did I call her? I should have seen this coming. I would have been safe wearing anything else from my closet.

When I pull up in front of the hotel at nine o'clock, Jacob is already waiting outside. He looks rather cute in his khaki slacks and blue dress shirt.

"You're wearing a tie." I say as he gets into the car.

"Yes I am. And you're right on time." He smiles.

"Yes I am." I flash him a smile in return.

"Are we meeting everyone else there?"

"Yes we are." The club is buzzing with activity. Music is blaring from the speakers, people are yelling at each other in an attempt to talk over the music, glasses are clinking, people are dancing. It looks exactly like how a club should look. I say to Jacob, "I don't think they're here yet. I didn't see any of their cars in the parking lot. Let's just find a table for now." He nods, takes my hand, and leads me through the crowd of people. He chooses a bar-height table near the dance floor.

"Drinks?" A waitress in a skimpy metallic gold dress stands in front of us.

"Yeah. Two beers?" Jacob looks at me and I nod my head in approval.

"Alright." She says and brings us our drinks quickly. We watch the people interact with each other instead of talking. I feel out of place. Slowly, I scan the crowd for Harry and the others.

"They're here." I say excitedly. Relief floods through me and I jump off my seat.

**Draco's POV**

"You look great, Ginny." Astoria gushes.

"You don't look so bad yourself." Ginny winks at her.

"Ginny, stop flirting with other people's dates." Harry says as he pulls on her arm lightly, forcing her out the door.

"Ready to go, Lav?" Ron asks Lavender, who is still standing in the bathroom with the door wide open.

"Just one more second. I'm almost done with my lipstick!" We hear the bathroom faucet go on then off. She scurries down the hall toward us in her unlawfully high heels. "Ready." She attaches herself to Ron's arm. She and Ron exit through the door.

"Do you have everything?" I ask Astoria.

"Yes." She smiles sweetly at me.

"Ladies first." I gesture toward the door and she walks out. I follow suit and lock the door behind me. We file into Ron's SUV. I recognize Hermione's car in the club's parking lot, which reminds me that she isn't here alone tonight.

The music is deafening. Now I remember why I don't like clubs. Lavender is already dancing to the beat of the song. Harry pokes his head around the people passing by while the rest of us stand awkwardly by the entrance.

"There they are." He points toward the opposite side of the dance floor. 'Mione!" He says loudly. Waving his arm frantically, he pushes past people. I don't see her until her head turns to face our direction. A large smile spreads across her face and she jumps off the stool she was sitting on.

When we're in front on Hermione, Ginny says, "I told you. Black is sexy." I give her a quick once-over and I'm almost certain that my jaw drops onto the floor beneath me. She's dressed in a short, tight, black dress and a pair of black high heels with straps crisscrossing up her foot to her ankle. She looks very un-Hermione. I would have never known it was she if I couldn't see her face. I take a moment to take in her face, which still looks very much like Hermione. Her hair drapes over her shoulders and down her back in the natural waves she always has. There are no obvious traces of makeup except for the glossy sheen on her lips. Her cheeks are that light pink I've been accustomed to seeing. She looks... stunning.

"Hello Astoria. You look absolutely beautiful. You're making the rest of us poor girls look bad." I watch her as she kisses Astoria's cheek. Then she turns to face me.

"Hi Malfoy." She smiles. "Erm. Malfoy, Astoria, this is Jacob. Jacob, this is Draco Malfoy and Astoria Greengrass." I finally notice the tall, lanky blonde standing closely behind her.

"It's nice to finally meet the rest of Hermione's friends."

"Pleasure to meet you, Jacob. So you're from the States?" Astoria says to him.

"I am." He flashes a big, toothy smile. "New York. I went to Columbia with Hermione. The funny thing is, I never saw her on campus. We met the day she left New York to come back here." He puts his arm around her waist and she smiles, but her smile looks strained. Strange.

"Okay, enough with the Hermione-Jacob story. I've heard it already. Let's have some fun now, shall we?" Ginny declares, swaying her hips to the music. She grabs Harry's hand and drags him to join Lavender on the dance floor.

Harry yells to me, "Get me a beer!" Ron, Astoria, and I sit down with Hermione and Jacob. I order a round of beers for Ron, Harry, and me.

"Would you like anything?" I ask Astoria.

"That would be nice. A Cosmopolitan, please." I ask the waitress for her drink. After a little while, Lavender rushes to the table to fetch Ron. Before being dragged away, he downs the rest of his beer and asks the waitress to leave another one on the table. Harry takes a seat and takes a large swig of his beer.

"I can't keep up with her. She's enjoying this way too much." Harry tries to catch his breath, which makes Hermione laugh. He downs his beer when he sees Ginny signaling for him. "At this rate, I'll never be able to sit down and actually enjoy a drink."

I suggest, "I can honestly say that you're probably never going to sit down, my friend. Well, there are waitresses walking around everywhere. I'm sure they can serve you four while you're on the dance floor."

"Be careful with your drinking, Harry! All of you!" Hermione calls to him, but I don't think he hears her.

"Don't worry so much, Hermione. Let them have their fun." Jacob says to her. He smiles, staring at the two couples dancing.

"Do you want to dance?" Hermione asks him.

"I'm not one for dancing." Her face falls.

I submit myself to a few dances with Astoria because I know she enjoys it. I don't hate dancing. I just hate this kind of music. Club music should be outlawed. Hermione and Jacob have one dance together, which she looks very happy about. I take a look over at Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Lavender. They're arms are flailing everywhere and I can hear their loud cackles, even over the loud music. They seem to have consumed a little too much alcohol.

**Hermione's POV**

Jacob retreats to the table after only one dance. I reluctantly follow after him.

"Another drink?" He asks me when we sit down.

"No, that's alright. I've already had three beers. I'll just have some water."

"Just one more! The night is young." Astoria and Malfoy return to the table.

"Jacob, I still have to drive later. I'm just going to have some water."

"C'mon, Hermione. Let loose a little! Look at Harry, Ginny, and Ron. They look like they're having a great time!" I look in their direction and, sure enough, the three of them and Lavender are drunkenly dancing.

"Shit. They need more water than I do." I get up to go to the bar but he grabs my wrist before I can walk away.

"One more drink, Hermione. Then you can drink as much water as you want."

"I can't and I won't, Jacob." I pull my arm away from him. What is his problem? I said I don't want another drink. Why does he keep trying to force it? I place a pitcher of water and a few glasses on the table. I sit back down and keep my eyes on the two dancing couples. I feel Jacob scoot closer to me.

"I just want you to loosen up and have a good time without having to worry about anything else. You're always so hesitant about everything."

"I don't get why you're acting like this. It's in my nature to worry, not only about myself, but also about others. Especially about others. I thought you knew that. You never seemed to have a problem with it before."

"Look, I'm sorry, Hermione. I just... I don't know. I'm sorry that I'm acting like such an ass."

"It's fine." I say emotionlessly.

He murmurs into my ear, "Did I mention that you look amazingly hot tonight?" I feel his hand squeeze my knee. For the first time ever, I flinch away from his touch. 'Hot'? That is an extremely poor attempt at a compliment. I feel insulted. I stand up to escape.

"We should get going, Malfoy. Those four need to sober up." I say, turning to face him. But he's not looking at me – his eyes are focused on Jacob and his mouth is set in a hard line. His eyes flicker to me and for a split second, I'm frozen in place by his piercing gray eyes. I feel a shiver run down my spine. His eyes soften a bit and he nods.

"Okay." He and I walk onto the dance floor, with Astoria and Jacob following closely behind, and drag our four drunken friends out of the club. I have a firm hold on Ginny, while Malfoy supports Harry. Astoria is holding Lavender's hand and Jacob guides Ron down the sidewalk. Malfoy takes the keys to the SUV out of Ron's pocket so we can lead the four into the car.

"Erm, so they're not in any condition to drive home... What are we going to do?"

"Well, they're free to stay in my flat until they sober up, which probably won't be until tomorrow morning." He chuckles. "I still have to take Astoria home, though. And you have to take him back to his hotel."

"You can follow me to Jacob's hotel. It's not far from here. And then we can go to your flat. We'll take the four of them inside so I can watch them while you take Astoria home."

"Okay." He follows me out of the parking lot and to Jacob's hotel.

"Tonight was fun." Jacob says when I'm parked in front of the hotel.

"Yeah." I say in a monotone voice.

"Goodnight." I stare straight out the windshield as he kisses my cheek.

"Night." He hesitates before getting out of the car.

"My flight is at seven o'clock in the evening tomorrow."

"Okay." I soften up at the mention of his departure. "I'll spend some time with you before you leave. Maybe around one or two?"

"That sounds great. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye." He finally gets out of the car. Malfoy pulls up in front of me and leads me to his flat. The building he lives in is beautiful. With one walk through the lobby, I can already tell his flat is well deserving of a Malfoy. How right I was. The flat is so large and it's already so beautifully furnished. I can only dream of being able to afford a flat like this.

"Sorry about the mess. I still haven't finished unpacking. Uh, Astoria could you get a few blankets from the box over there?" He points to one of the open boxes in the corner of the living room. Astoria helps Lavender onto the loveseat. "Lay them on the floor for me, please, so Harry and Ron can lay on the floor." I set Ginny on the sofa. I help Astoria spread a few blankets on the floor.

"Okay, Harry. You can sleep right here." Malfoy says to him.

"Wha? Ah okay looks comfortable. Draco do you know that you are a great friend? A great friend you are." Harry babbles.

"I'm well aware of that, mate. Now go to sleep." Astoria and I laugh a little. "You too, Ron. You can sleep here." Malfoy helps Ron off the dining room chair he was sitting on. Ron slowly sinks to the floor. "They're a lot more effort than they're worth." Malfoy sighs. "Let's get you home, Astoria. Sorry for keeping you so long."

"It's fine. As long as they're all okay." She smiles up at him.

"You'll be alright here? Sorry I have to leave you with them." Malfoy says to me before leaving.

"I'll be fine. It shouldn't be too hard to watch them snore." I giggle and he smiles.

"Okay. Once I'm back, you're free of your duty. I won't be too long."

"Don't worry about it." I sit in his armchair. "It was nice seeing you, Astoria."

"Nice seeing you too." She smiles a small smile then she and Malfoy leave.

"You're too much." I say to my four sleeping friends. I yawn. My body sinks further into the big, comfy armchair.

**Draco's POV**

When I get back to my flat, I hear a chorus of quiet snores. I wonder what Granger did with her time. Watching your friends sleep must be boring. I walk into the living room to find the two couples still knocked out cold as well as a sleeping Hermione Granger. She's fallen asleep in the armchair.

Quietly, I say, "Granger." She doesn't respond. "Granger." Still no response. I lightly touch her arm. "Hermione." She stirs, but doesn't wake. I sigh. What am I supposed to do? Even if I do wake her right now, I'm afraid that she's too tired to drive home.

Slowly and carefully, I pick her up and cradle her in my arms. She stirs a little bit so I stop moving. Then she stops and nestles her head into my chest. A small smile appears on my face. She's so warm. And she's a lot smaller than she looks. I carry her to my room and lay her on top of my bed. I cover her with another blanket from the box.

I turn off all the lights in the flat and then settle into my armchair. I'm exhausted. It's going to be fun explaining all this to everyone in the morning.

**AN: Weeeeeee. That was fun. I didn't think I was going to turn Jacob into a bad-ish sort of guy. But what better way is there to entice some HermionexDraco action? Heheh. Will Draco confront Hermione about what he witnessed at the club? WHO KNOWS. I just started classes, so I'm gonna try to bust out as many chapters as I can within the next week before school gets busy.**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN**: I am so happy with the reviews I've gotten. Thank you so much. Shout out to **siriuslymrsmalfoy** for educating me a bit on the British system. If I'm to write another HP story, it'll definitely coincide with the actual British school system, etc. But for now, this story will stay as is. To the guest reader who wants HermionexJacob, I'm sorry! I can't give you what you're hoping for. Read on.

_It's Been a While_: Chapter 12

**Hermione's POV**

I wake up, more rested than I've ever felt. I don't really remember when I fell asleep last night, but it's all right because that was probably the greatest night of sleep I've ever had. I stretch my body and find that I'm still wearing my dress and shoes. Why? Alarmed, I sit up straight in bed. The funny thing is... this isn't my bed. Shit. I finally remember falling asleep in Malfoy's armchair. So why am I in his bed?! I quickly untangle myself from the blanket and slide off the bed. My heels click loudly on the floor, so I slip them off. If they're all still asleep, I don't want to wake them. As I pass the dresser, I take a look at myself. My hair is a complete mess. I hurriedly comb my fingers through my hair then exit his bedroom.

I'll just grab my purse, then leave. I've overstayed my welcome. And I'm sure Mum and Dad are worried sick. I don't think I ever contacted them last night. I quietly walk down the hall to the living room.

As I'm passing the kitchen, Malfoy says, "Granger." I stop short and turn toward the sound of his voice. He's still wearing his clothes from last night – gray slacks and a white dress shirt. He's no longer wearing shoes, though, just his socks.

"Malfoy. Hi. Good morning. Er, I think I've overstayed my welcome." I blush. "Sorry. I'm going to get my purse and leave."

"You haven't overstayed anything, Granger. None of you have."

"They're still sleeping?" I walk into the kitchen and stand across from him, on the other side of his kitchen island.

"Like babies." He smirks and shakes his head. "I was just about to make some coffee. Would you like some?"

"Sure, thanks." He turns away from me and gets started on the coffee. "Um, Malfoy?"

"Hm?" He responds without looking at me.

"Erm, why... why was I in your bed? I remember falling asleep on the armchair..."

He clears his throat then turns to me. "Er. Well, I, uh... I carried you. I tried to wake you, but you didn't respond. Not that I would have let you drive anyway." I blush furiously in response.

"You- you carried me?" My voice has raised a few octaves. He nods slowly.

"I couldn't let you sleep in that armchair all night."

"Then where did you sleep?"

"In the armchair." He smirks. I look down and place my hands on the cool granite of the kitchen island. It would be nice to put my face to this... Maybe it would lighten my blush a fraction. I can't believe I kicked him out of his own room. "Granger, stop worrying. I can tell by the look on your face. It's fine. If I didn't want to give you my bed, I would have left you in the chair."

"You really could have just left me there. I was-"

"I'm sure you thought you were perfectly fine. But what kind of host would I be if I let a guest, a woman no less, sleep upright in a chair? Not a very good one. Besides, everyone else got to sleep properly, so why shouldn't you?"

"Wouldn't Astoria be upset if she found out you carried me AND let me sleep in your bed? I would be upset if I knew my boyfriend did that for another woman."

"Cream and sugar?" He changes the subject.

"Uh. Yes, please."

"You're really overthinking this whole thing, Granger. It's too early in the morning for overthinking." He turns back toward the coffee maker then quietly adds, "And I'm not her boyfriend, by the way. Not really."

"Oh. I just thought... I don't know. I just assumed you were an item since you were dancing with her at your birthday and then last night and... I'm going to stop babbling now. I'm sorry for assuming anything." He turns around, holding two cups of coffee.

"It's fine. You didn't know." The left corner of his mouth pulls up into a smile, but only slightly. He hands me a mug.

"Thanks." I take a sip. "Mm, this is delicious." I don't drink coffee that often, but this cup is really good. We quietly sip our coffee.

"I don't know what we are."

"I'm sorry?"

"Astoria and I. I'm not sure what we are."

"Oh." I want to ask about them, but it's not my place to pry.

"We're _something. _We go out together and all that. So we should be boyfriend and girlfriend, but we're not."

"You don't need a label to identify what you are to each other."

"It's not even that. It's so much more complicated than that. Well, it seems a lot more complicated to me... Sorry. I'm not making any sense."

"It's fine." I reassure him, but he says no more. He seems so somber, staring into his coffee. I try to lighten the mood. "Was I heavy?"

"What?"

"Did you have a difficult time carrying me?"

"Oh, yeah. You weigh a ton." A smirk finds its way onto his face. That's better. There's the Malfoy I know.

"I bet I did."

"You should lay off those chocolate croissants from the café. I know they're delicious, but you can't let yourself go, Granger." I smirk at him. He laughs lightly then says, "You're a lot smaller than you look, honestly." I feel the blush creep to my face as he smiles at me.

He puts his empty cup into the sink. "Would you excuse me? I'm going to change out of these clothes. They're actually quite uncomfortable to sleep in. Go figure. Feel free to pour yourself another cup of coffee, if you'd like."

"Okay." He walks into his room and I take the opportunity to check my phone. Surprisingly, I only have a few missed calls and a text message from Mum: '_Your father and I are worried about you. Hope you're all right. Contact me when you see this. xx Mum'. _I shoot her a reply: '_Hi Mum. Good morning. Sorry I didn't call last night. I'm doing fine. We all ended up falling asleep in Draco Malfoy's flat. And no, I was not drunk :) xx Mione'_

I return to the kitchen and pour myself half a cup of coffee then, I take a seat at the dining room table. Malfoy comes back wearing a white t-shirt and navy blue sweatpants.

"You left these in my room." He puts my high heels on the floor next to me, and then takes the seat opposite me.

"You look very un-Malfoy in sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt. You're normally dressed so nicely." I blurt out.

He counters, "You looked very un-Granger last night in that black dress and those death-traps you call shoes."

I flush. "I knew I looked ridiculous. Ginevra's fashion sense is beyond me..."

"You didn't look ridiculous. You looked quite-" He pauses. "You looked different."

"I looked pretty bad, didn't I... I really should have just-"

"I didn't say you looked bad." Despite my increasing chagrin, I allow myself to look up. My brown eyes meet his gray ones. How do those eyes of his change from a dark to light gray in a matter of moments? He clears his throat and breaks our eye contact.

"Hi Harry." I squeak when I notice Harry walk out of the living room.

"Good God, what time is it?" Harry grumbles.

"About eleven." I answer.

"Good morning, Potter. Have a nice slumber?" Malfoy smirks.

"Not really. Although, I will admit, your floor is quite comfortable."

"Sorry, mate. The guest rooms have no furniture in them yet. Maybe next time around, I'll have something nicer for you to sleep on."

"Next time? I'd really rather not get that drunk again. I don't remember much of last night." He slumps into the chair next to me.

I ask him, "How are you feeling right now?"

"Not bad, considering I was inebriated out of my mind last night. I was expecting a hangover much worse than this. I'm honestly just thirsty."

"I'll get you some water." Malfoy says then stands up. "I should probably make some more coffee, too." He walks away.

"So what happened to me last night?" Harry asks.

"You were piss drunk and a dancing fool for ninety percent of the night." I deadpan.

"Shit. That's not good. What about the rest of you?"

"Well, Ginny, Ron, and Lav were all in the same boat as you. Malfoy and Astoria were sober all night. So was I, obviously."

"Did they not drink anything?"

"Well, they did. They were just a lot smarter than you with their drinking." We laugh a little.

"What about Jacob? Did you have fun with him?"

I don't respond immediately, but when I do, I talk much quieter. "Idunno." I can feel the tension in my voice. "He wasn't drunk. But I think he was a little intoxicated."

"How do you know?"

"He wasn't acting much like himself toward the end of the night..."

"How so?"

"He was a little over zealous about drinking. He kept trying to convince me to have another beer."

"He probably just wanted you to have a good time."

"Yeah, that's what he said."

"Then, there's nothing to worry about! Jacob seems like a fun-loving guy."

"Idunno, Harry. I just felt very uneasy about it. Maybe because I was so worried about you, Ginny, Ron, and Lavender. But, I told him no and he just kept trying to get me to drink more. I just thought he would respect my choices more than that."

"Aw, 'Mione. You worry too much. Even if he was a little intoxicated, I really don't think Jacob would ever mean you any harm by trying to give you another drink."

"I guess I was just really on edge last night."

"Probably. I'm sorry for making you worry. I hope I didn't ruin your fun."

"Of course you didn't. But even if Jacob just wanted me to have a good time, it doesn't make it okay for him touch my knee and call me 'hot'." My face scrunches up in a look of disgust.

"Oh. Wow. I would have never expected that from him. Maybe he was a little intoxicated."

"I think so. It was so unlike him and I really didn't like that. Even if he only acts like that when he has alcohol in his system, it turns me off a lot."

"You do too much thinking and not enough talking. If it's really bothering you, just talk to him about it."

**Draco's POV**

"So, what're we talking about?" I say as I approach the table. I place a glass of water in front of Harry and retake my seat.

"Nothing." Hermione quickly answers, looking at Harry. He blinks at her then turns to me with a strange expression on his face.

"Oh, just some relationship problems."

"Harry!" Hermione gasps.

"Come on, 'Mione. Maybe Draco can give some of his input. I'm sure he's had some relationship problems of his own that may be of some help." I narrow my eyes at him as he stares blankly at me.

I glare at Harry for a few more seconds, then look at Hermione. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine! Harry doesn't know what he's talking about." She chews on her lip and begins to play with the pendant of her necklace.

"What else is new." I say seriously, which earns a smile from her and a glare from Harry.

"Apparently, Jacob was acting unlike himself last night. Did you notice any odd behavior from him?" I tense up. Yeah, I noticed. I didn't hear much, but I saw plenty. Hermione was noticeably uneasy after he continuously offered her a drink. And I'm pretty sure he did something inappropriate because she suddenly flinched away from him at some point, which was odd.

I lie. "No, I didn't really notice anything. Astoria and I were dancing for a while and I couldn't hear much since the music was so loud." A ringing comes from the living room.

"Sorry. That's my phone. Excuse me." Hermione stands up to answer her call.

Once she's out of earshot, Harry stares at me and says, "You're lying."

"Excuse me?"

"You noticed something."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Potter." He quirks an eyebrow at me. "Fine. I honestly didn't hear much, but I did notice something."

"Why didn't you just say so?"

"To spare her some embarrassment. You already embarrass her enough as it is."

"That's true. But maybe you could talk some sort of sense into her. She's always so on edge when it comes to him. I feel like she worries too much about the American twit."

"Twit? Do you not like him?"

"I like him just fine. But if 'Mione's having such a difficult time sorting her feelings for him, he's a twit. She shouldn't have to, you know what I mean?"

"I don't think she wants me knowing about her boyfriend troubles, Harry." I shut up immediately when I see her walk out of the living room.

"Sorry about that. Just my mum."

"Shit, I should call MY mum." Harry rushes out of the room with his phone in hand.

"Harry is too meddlesome. He has no right to bother other people with my problems." She says, sitting back down in her chair.

"Yeah, I know. I was just telling him that your boyfriend problems are none of my business." I shake my head.

She simply responds, "He's not my boyfriend."

"Oh. We're in the same boat, then." Our eyes lock for the second time today and she smiles.

"I guess we are."

"The rest of our sleeping beauties are awake now." Harry calls from the living room. Hermione and I stand. Ginny and Lavender are now sitting upright on the sofas. Ron has rolled over onto his stomach and is mumbling something into the floor.

"Ronald, speak properly." Hermione scolds.

Ron rolls onto his back. "I'm thirsty."

"So get up. Don't expect Malfoy to serve your lazy arse." She bends down to pat his head. "How are you two feeling?" She asks Ginny and Lavender.

"Alright, I suppose. I could use some of that delicious-smelling coffee, though." Ginny says and Lavender nods in agreement. After a valiant effort, Ron finally stands and everyone convenes in the dining room as I go into the kitchen.

"I'll help you, Malfoy." Hermione follows and stands next to me. "Unless you have four hands to carry everything."

"Thanks." As I pour the coffee, she adds the cream and sugar. "Oh. By the way, we have an opening for you."

"Sorry?"

"A job. I secured a position for you on Thursday. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it sooner. I completely forgot, what with all the moving and stuff..."

"Really?" Her eyes brighten and her cheeks turn a light pink. "I have a job?"

"If you really want it."

"Thank you so much for doing this. You don't know how much this means to me." She smiles widely.

"You're welcome. You'll be working in the publishing company."

"Publishing? I'd love that." She bounces on her toes giddily. I've never seen her so excited. It surprises me so much that it makes me smile.

"I thought you might. Unfortunately, you'll be working as my Aunt Bella's personal assistant's personal assistant. Doing around the same grueling slave work as me. Fortunately, you'll probably have more fun working than I do."

"A job is a job. I really can't complain."

"Would you be able to come in tomorrow afternoon to sign some papers? You'd have to meet with my father... I hope that's alright."

"Of course it is. I don't see why it wouldn't be."

"Great. All you have to do is give the secretary your name. She'll direct you to my father's office."

"Thank you so much, Malfoy." She reaches out and lightly touches my wrist, which sends tingles up the entire length of my arm to my shoulder. She pulls her hand away quickly and smiles with her eyes. She takes two mugs of coffee and exits the kitchen, leaving me with my hyper-sensitized wrist still sitting on the countertop.

When my arm finally regains function, I quietly return to the table with the other two mugs of coffee. They're raving about last night's 'fun'. How any of them remember anything is beyond me, but I laugh and smile with them anyway. Ron, Ginny, and Lavender only stay for one cup of coffee because Molly Weasley graced her children with a semi-angry phone call halfway through their first cup.

Not too long after they've left, Hermione stands. "I should probably go. I told Jacob I'd see him this afternoon. I'm already running late enough as it is. Thank you again for letting me stay the night, Malfoy. And thank you for the job." She bends down to pick up her shoes and my eyes involuntarily linger on her backside as her dress rides up her thighs.

I bite down on my lip hard. I finally manage to choke out, "You're welcome." She kisses Harry on the cheek and leaves the flat, closing the door gently behind her.

"So..." Harry says in a singsong voice.

"So?"

"You got her a job?" He enunciates every word slowly.

"I did."

"That's good."

"Yes it is."

"Who would have thought you two would ever work together?"

"We won't really be working with each other, Harry."

"All the same. You'll be in the same work place. I don't doubt you'll see each other often... The building isn't that large." He says in a matter-of-fact sort of way.

"That's true."

"You two will have a better chance to get to know each other. Become real friends, eh?"

"I guess." I say nonchalantly. We'll have a better chance to get to know each other? I feel something odd stir in my chest at the thought.

"That'll be loads of fun." Harry nods rather enthusiastically with a stupid grin on his face.

**Hermione's POV**

After taking a rushed shower, making myself look half-decent, and driving somewhat recklessly, I meet with Jacob in the hotel lobby.

"I'm so sorry I'm late. I hope you haven't waited too long."

"It's fine, Hermione. We were all out late last night. I didn't expect you to wake up bright and early." He smiles. "How was your morning?"

"It was... interesting. I, uh, accidentally fell asleep at Malfoy's house."

"Yeah? I hope you got a good night's sleep." You have no idea. "I never had much luck with sleeping on living room furniture." I wouldn't know, Malfoy let me sleep on his bed.

"How was your morning?" I'm entirely too eager to change the subject, but he doesn't notice.

"Tough. I woke up with a mild headache and a foreboding sense of guilt." His face falls and he quietly continues, "I'm really sorry about the way I acted last night. It was insensitive and rude of me." My heart swells at his apology.

"It's alright, Jacob. To be completely honest, I was so taken aback by your behavior. But I'm just really happy that you're not normally like that. I'm sorry for getting so defensive. I know you just wanted me to have some fun."

"You don't have to be sorry for anything. I shouldn't have forced the issue. You should only have to say 'no' once." He pauses then looks down his feet. "How bad was I?"

"Well, you called me 'hot'."

"Ugh, seriously?" He runs his hand over his face. "That's so embarrassing. I'm so sorry you had to see me like that. I should have warned you that I get a little weird when I'm tipsy. This one time last year, I told a girl she had nicely shaped feet." I giggle.

"Let's just forget all that and enjoy the rest of the afternoon."

"Gladly." He holds out his hand and I take it without a second thought. We go out to lunch then we walk hand-in-hand around the streets of London until around five o'clock. "I wish we could have more time together." We're in front of the hotel and he has his luggage at his feet.

"So do I." We're standing face-to-face and both his hands envelop both of mine.

"This crazy trip across the Atlantic Ocean was worth it. I had an amazing week with you." He squeezes my hands and I smile shyly. "I need to go. I'll let you know as soon as I get home."

"Please do. Have a safe trip."

"I will. Oh and good luck at work. Knock 'em dead." He hails a taxicab. "Don't miss me okay? We can talk whenever you'd like. It'll be like I never left."

"Sure." Before I realize what's happening, he's bending down and planting a small kiss on my lips. The contact takes me by so much surprise that I'm frozen in place.

"I had to do that at least once before I left." He says proudly, a goofy smile spreads across his face.

"Better late than never." I strain to give him a ghost of a smile. A goodbye kiss isn't really something to smile about.

"Soon. I'll make sure we see each other again soon."

"Okay."

"Goodbye, Hermione."

"Goodbye, Jacob." He kisses my cheek tenderly then gets into the cab, waving as it pulls away from the hotel. I wave back mechanically. "Bye."


	13. Chapter 13

_It's Been a While_: Chapter 13

**Hermione's POV**

The lobby of Malfoy Enterprises does not disappoint. There are several large couches situated on each side of the room. There is a set of three elevators off to one side.

"Hi, I'm Hermione Granger. I'm here to meet with Mr. Lucius Malfoy." I say to the young woman sitting at the desk.

"Yes. Very good. Mr. Malfoy is in a meeting right now. If you would be so kind as to wait for him in meeting room number three, he'll be out shortly." She hands me a visitor's pass. "Just take the elevator up to the fifth floor, go to your left, then follow the hallway. You'll see Mr. Malfoy's office at the very end. You can't miss it. It's the only room with a set of double doors." She smiles. "The meeting room is to the right of his office."

"Thanks so much."

"Oh and, Miss, if you need anything – some coffee or something else – feel free to ask Mr. Draco Malfoy. He should be in office 524." My mouth twitches, threatening to break out into a smirk.

"Thanks again." I turn away from her before my composure falls. Once I'm safely behind the closed doors of the elevator, I giggle freely. I think hell has frozen over: Draco Malfoy is at my service. Am I to take advantage of this momentous occasion? I laugh again. I'm entirely too amused by this. I look at my reflection in the shiny metal doors of the elevator. I straighten out my black pencil skirt and pluck a loose thread off my white blouse before the doors open. There is a sign on the wall opposite the elevators denoting that offices 501-524 and meeting room number three are to the left and that the restrooms are to the right.

Doing as I was told, I go to the left. I have half a mind to peek in on Malfoy, but I decide against it. I'll bother him after my meeting with his father. I take note that the space between each office is quite large. Working here must be so luxurious if one person gets so much workspace... In the center of the meeting room, there's a glass table that seats nine people and there's a projector screen hanging on the wall nearest the door and a large flat-screen TV hangs in the back corner of the room. As I sink into one of the leather chairs, I wonder idly if all the meeting rooms look like this.

I sit alone for only five minutes. Lucius Malfoy strides in, shoulders back and chin up. His hair is still fashioned in the same neat ponytail he's always had. Age has been kind to him, but there are small wrinkles creasing the corners of his eyes and his forehead.

"Miss Granger." I stand immediately and offer my hand.

"Mr. Malfoy. Good afternoon." He shakes my hand.

"Sorry for the wait."

"It's absolutely fine. Thank you for meeting with me. I'm very grateful for this opportunity."

"If I recall correctly, you are an extremely diligent worker. Beat my own son out of being top of the class." I smile sheepishly. "Come. Let us go to my office." He holds the door open for me and leads me into his office. "You are well aware of what this job entails?"

"I have an idea. Your son has talked about it somewhat."

"Right. To be frank, Miss Granger, this position is not so easy. It can and will become tedious. There are a lot of responsibilities that come with being someone's personal assistant."

"I'm willing to put in the work."

"Good." After two hours of a significant amount of reading, discussing, and signing papers, Lucius Malfoy places my completed contract into a manila folder.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Malfoy."

"We're glad to have you. Could you possibly start working this week? As early as tomorrow? Between you and I, Bellatrix is in need of you. Her current personal assistant is a bit daft. She has a hard time doing things on her own without going barmy. I'm sure you could help sort things out." He smirks. Ah, now I see where Malfoy gets that smirk.

"I can do that."

"Splendid." He stands and I follow suit. "Have Draco show you around. Get familiar with the building. Unfortunately, Bellatrix is not in today, so you'll have to meet her tomorrow." I follow him halfway down the hallway. "My son's office is 524. If you'll excuse me, I have a conference call. Enjoy the rest of your day."

"You too." He nods politely then returns to his office. When I reach Malfoy's office, his door is ajar. It wasn't open earlier. I peek through the crack. Malfoy is leaning back in his chair with his brow furrowed as he reads a piece of paper. After a moment, he places the paper on his desk and jots something down. He begins to tap his pen on the desk rhythmically.

It's odd. I've known him for years, but I feel as if I'm just starting to really see him. The only kind of determination I've ever seen on his face is the determination to insult the life out of me, Harry, and/or Ron. He is so impressively concentrated on his work. No wonder he was second in our class. I suppose I never gave him enough credit. Okay, I've definitely been standing outside his door for too long. I knock tentatively then slowly push the door open a fraction. He looks up at me.

"Hi." I say quietly.

"Hi."

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important."

"You're not. I'm surprised to see you. I didn't think you'd be here this late in the afternoon. How was the meeting?"

"Your father isn't as intimidating as I remember."

"Good to hear. So what can I do for my new coworker?" He smirks. I laugh.

"We're coworkers... It's weird when you say it out loud..." He chuckles. "Well, your father wanted me to ask you to take me on a tour of the building."

"Yes. Thank you for saving me from this paperwork."

"Always glad to help." We go into the hall and wait for an elevator.

"We'll start on the second floor and make our way up."

"Okay." The elevator doors slide open and we step inside. Once the doors close, I stare at our reflections on the metal doors of the elevator. Even in my heels, he's still a good five or so inches taller than me. I'm highly aware of our close proximity. I can smell his cologne. The same smell he had when he walked past me in my bedroom the night I came home. And I can actually feel the warmth radiating off his body. I bite my lip and move a loose tendril of hair away from my face.

Thankfully, the elevator halts and the doors open to a hallway that looks exactly like the fifth floor, only with different colored walls and carpet.

"On the second floor, we have the mailroom, the employee lounge, dining hall, and a few copy rooms."

"An employee lounge AND a dining hall?"

"Yes. Complete with food services during the normal work hours. Mum insisted that Dad should include a dining hall. She believes that everyone should be properly fed in order to properly function."

"Your mother has a point." I giggle and he smiles. He explains that certain copy machines perform certain tasks. We have two that print in black and white, two that print in color, another prints on lengthy banner type paper, and another harbors a special printer for photos and posters. The employee lounge has several couches that are similar to those in the lobby and a few tables and chairs. Malfoy wasn't kidding when he said 'food services'. In the dining hall, a long buffet table is set to one side, a number of chaffing dishes placed on top of it. Round tables fill out the rest of the room. We walk back to the elevators and wait.

"Well, floors three, four, and five all look exactly the same. As you know, the fifth floor is where my father's office is, so that floor is for the workers of the insurance company. The fourth floor has an office for my mum, even though she doesn't need one, and the offices for all the workers of the cosmetic company. Mum's never around. My father insisted on giving her an office just in case she does come around for meetings and all that rubbish. The third floor is where you'll be working. Aunt Bella's office is there as well as the rest of that publishing company's workers." The elevator arrives and again, I find myself in such close proximity to Malfoy. His body heat warms the left side of my body and the smell of his cologne lightly saturates the contained air of the elevator. I sigh inwardly when we reach the third floor, thankful I only had to endure that for a few seconds. "Your office should be nearest to the elevators. I'm not sure which one, exactly, but it's somewhere between 320 and 324. I wonder if Aunt Bella is here. Maybe you could meet her..."

"Your father said she wasn't in."

"Ah, I see. Well, that's all right. Fair warning, Aunt Bella can be a bit... rigid. At work, especially. She likes everything done a certain way and she won't settle for anything less than her expectations." He pauses then turns his head to me and smirks. "Nothing Hermione Granger can't handle." I feel an unexplainable pull inside my stomach. I stare down at my shoes as we wait for the elevator. "We'll just go straight to the sixth floor."

For the third time in the last hour, I have to stand directly next to him, trapped within the confines of an elevator. This is becoming ridiculous. His cologne is actually starting to make me feel lightheaded. It's not because it's overwhelming. No, it's not that. It's just that... It smells so _nice_. _He_ smells nice. The elevator dings and we step into the sixth floor hallway.

I ask him, "What's on this floor?"

"Just the conference room. I think you'll really like it." He glances down at me and smiles. This hallway is noticeably wider and there are two pairs of double doors on one side. He opens one of the first doors and let's me walk in first. The room is so beautiful, I audibly gasp. "I knew you'd appreciate it." The entire wall opposite us is made of glass. The sunlight shines in; no light fixtures will be needed in this room during the daytime. The long table in the center of room seats a little over twenty people. There is an even larger projector screen and an even larger television in this room.

"This view is actually quite amazing." I walk toward the glass, but I leave a few feet between the wall and me. I can kind of see the street below us, as well as all the little shops and things that I always walk past. I can even see a little bit of the London skyline from here. It definitely isn't the grandest view, but it's still beautiful.

"You can see the café from this angle." Malfoy is standing right up next to the glass. "Look."

"I'd rather not stand so close to the glass." He looks at me curiously.

"Are you afraid of heights, Granger?"

"You could say that." I admit embarrassedly. His lips twitch and his eyes twinkle with amusement, but he only smiles slightly and makes no further comment.

"I see." He turns away from me, but he can't hide his smirk.

"Being afraid of heights is completely rational." I scowl at him. He turns back to me.

"You're always full of surprises, Granger." He chuckles and then he does something that surprises the living daylights out of me. He smiles freely, his pearly white, perfectly straight teeth beaming. Heat quickly rises to my face. Actually, heat quickly spreads throughout my entire body. I feel my heart beating erratically and I feel that unfamiliar pull at my stomach again. Hell truly has frozen over. And, as mental as it sounds, I don't think I mind it.

**Draco's POV**

Dad states impassively during dinner, "That Hermione Granger is surprisingly charming." You really have no idea, Dad. "Very polite and formal. She conducts herself quite well."

"Does she? That's good. Draco, dear, she's the intelligent one from your class, is she not?" Mum looks at me.

"Yes, she is."

"Ah. She'll be a good addition to the business." Mum says definitively. Dad nods his head once. "So you two have sorted your differences? You're friends now? I remember seeing her at your birthday."

"We have and we are."

"She's quite pretty. Really grown into herself since we last saw her four years ago." I feel that odd stirring in my chest. "Where did she attend university?"

"In the United States."

"Oh? That's quite impressive. Flying across the pond to continue her education..."

"She wanted to be with her parents while they worked there."

"Now I'm sure she'll be a great addition to the business. It's always wonderful to see a young person putting his or her family first." Mum says happily. "I'd like to meet her."

"Come to the office for once and maybe you can." Dad says, smirking. I chuckle quietly.

"Lucius, you know I can't stand the office environment. I'd go mad from the sheer boredom of it all. I'll come in to meet her the next time someone pitches a worthwhile idea for the cosmetics line."

"Will do, sweetheart." Dad shakes his head, amused.

"Do you think she'll be alright? Working with your Auntie Bella..." Mild concern laces her voice.

"She'll be fine, Mum." I pause then quietly add, "She's Hermione Granger." I smile to myself.

**Hermione's POV**

Thoroughly flustered and flushed, I call Harry to ask him to hang out with me for a while. He meets me at the bench in my favorite park.

"What's wrong?" He asks, sitting down.

"Why do you always assume something is wrong when I ask to meet with you."

"Because something _is_ always wrong."

"Everything is fine, okay? I just wanted to tell you that I met with Lucius Malfoy today."

"How did that go?"

"It went incredibly well. He's not the same scary man I remembered him to be."

"Did you see Draco?" I flush at the mention of his name. I haven't even fully recovered from earlier and now I'm blushing again.

Harry looks at me speculatively as I stammer out an answer, "Er, yeah. I, uh, saw him. He showed me around the building..." I look away, trying to hide my blush. I've no idea why I even try. Nothing I do ever gets past Harry.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine. Just, you know, tired and all that..." What a pathetic lie.

"If you say so." I sigh, relieved he chooses not to pry this time around. I won't always be so lucky. I'll have to tell him the truth about my madness eventually. I'll have to explain to him that Draco Malfoy's cologne smells nice and being close to him makes me uneasy and his smile quite literally left me dumbstruck. I never noticed how perfect his teeth are until today. My blush deepens even more just thinking about Malfoy's smile. He interrupts my train of thought, "So did Jacob get home safely?"

Thankful for the change of topic, I answer, "Yeah. Thanks for asking. He emailed me very early this morning when I was asleep."

"That's good. How was the rest of your time together yesterday?"

"It was a wonderful way to spend his last day here. But he did kiss me..."

"Why do you sound as if that isn't completely wonderful? He kissed you before he left. I think he should get some romance points for that one."

"Goodbye kisses aren't romantic. They're sad and upsetting. And they can make a person feel horribly alone..."

"'Mione..." He takes my hand as squeezes it. "It's alright." I lean my head on his shoulder and inhale deeply. "Do you think things will work out between you two?"

"Idunno. It would be nice... But I can't assume anything. New York is a long ways away from here... "

"Just... Try to keep in touch with him."

"It'll be so much more difficult now that both of us are working." I sigh.

"You'll be able to tell when things don't seem right. Just try. The least you can do is try. And keep your head up, 'Mione. No matter what, things always happen for the better. Remember that." He gives my hand another squeeze.

"Thanks, Harry. You always know what to say."

"It's a gift." He shrugs. I playfully slap his knee and we laugh. I go home for dinner and afterwards, I tell my parents of my newly acquired job.

"That's amazing, sweetheart." Mum gushes.

"I start tomorrow."

"We're so proud of you." Dad kisses the top of my head. "Make sure you thank Draco."

"Of course, Dad. How could I not?" He smiles. "Well, I should start mentally preparing myself for bed. I have an important day ahead of me!" I jump up excitedly. "Goodnight, Mum. Goodnight, Dad."

Simultaneously, they say, "Goodnight." I wait around for a couple of hours, reading. Waiting for the right time to email Jacob. I finally do so at around midnight.

To: jacobschwitt  
From: hjgranger  
Tuesday, 06/19/2012 12:03 AM

_Hi, I have work tomorrow. So I'm going to go to sleep now. I should be well rested for my first day. Talk to you soon. – Hermione_

He doesn't answer. He's probably still at work. I snuggle into my bed sheets, tired. But I don't fall asleep for another hour. After that hour of staring at the ceiling, I consider checking my email. I'm sure he's out of work now. I decide against it in fear of getting distracted when I should be sleeping. I can try talking to him tomorrow night, I guess... I already have a foreboding sense that this is not going to end well. But Harry said to try. So I will try. I'll try for Jacob. I drift off into a peaceful sleep a few minutes after one o'clock.

**AN: Busted out another chapter in a day. I'm trying to make good use of my free time. Classes are already becoming a handful. Anyway, this was a short chapter, right? I'm quite happy with the length of it, actually. Finally getting some decent Dramione action up in this business, which I'm so excited about. Thank you all so much for the positive and constructive reviews. They make me so happy.**


	14. Chapter 14

_It's Been a While_: Chapter 14

**Draco's POV**

I wake up in a particularly good mood. I'm not sure what it is, but today seems like it's going to be a good day. The shower water energizes me and I remember that it's Hermione's first day of work. Why do I feel so happy about this? I probably won't even get to see her. The timing would have to be miraculously perfect in order for us to run into each other at least once. For fuck's sake, Draco, you're friends now. Just call her and ask to spend lunch break with each other. That's innocent enough, right?

"Dear, make sure Miss Granger feels welcome at work. I know how _you_ felt on _your_ first day. It must be so dreadfully boring for a young person to work with all those _old_ people."

Smiling at my mother's request, I respond on my way out the front door, "I will, Mum. See you later."

**Hermione's POV**

Eager to finally be working, I arrive at the Malfoy Enterprises building fifteen minutes before eight o'clock. I greet the same young woman I saw yesterday, "Good morning."

"Good morning. Nice to see you again, Miss..." She tries to recall my last name.

"Call me Hermione." I smile at her. She can't be much older than me. If anything, she could very well be younger than me.

"Hermione." She smiles back. "I'm Sophia."

"How long have you been working here?"

"Just over a year. It's boring, honestly, but I'm quite grateful to Mr. Malfoy. My grandfather used to work for his father. This job is helping me pay for university."

"That's wonderful. It's great to actually see someone else my age around here." She giggles.

"I know what you mean." She promptly lowers her voice to a whisper. "Well, there _is_ Mr. Malfoy's son."

"Draco?" Saying his first name still feels foreign, but this time, my heart feels light in my chest as it rolls off my tongue.

"Yes! Did you happen to see him yesterday?" I smile at her attempt to gossip.

"I did, actually."

"He's very handsome, is he not?" She says excitedly, her voice still a whisper. I blush. Handsome?

"Good morning, Sophia." Malfoy's cool drawl fills the room, which makes my breath hitch. My body refuses to turn around and face him.

"Good morning, Mr. Malfoy. How are you?" She squeaks. Her cheeks flush pink.

"I'm well, thanks. How are you?"

"Just fine." She smiles widely. She shoots a glance at me, her eyes glittering.

"Good. I see you've met Miss Granger." I whip my head around at the mention of my name. My eyes fall on his suit-clad body. There's no denying that he's a handsome fellow. What with his broad, masculine stature and his chiseled features and the fact that it's as if he was MADE to wear business attire...

"Hi." I look up at him. I keep forgetting how tall he is.

"Hi." He smiles.

"Good morning."

"Good morning to you too. Ready for your first day? Oh, who am I kidding? Of course you are." He smirks and I feel my heartbeat accelerate. "Shall we?" I nod weakly. "Have a good day, Sophia."

"Have a good day, Mr. Malfoy. Have a good day, Hermione."

"So she calls you Hermione already?" He says, smirking as we walk toward the elevators.

"Well, yes. She shouldn't have to call me 'Miss'. She looks about our age. Maybe younger."

"She's twenty." We step into the elevator.

"See? She's Ginny's age! I could never make her call me something so formal. You make her call you Mr. Malfoy?"

"I don't _make_ her call me _anything_. She chose to call me that. My surname does happen to be on the building as well as on her paycheck." He chuckles, looking down at me. Our eyes lock and all of a sudden, it feels much warmer in here. Is it just me? The elevator stops at the third floor and he clears his throat, pulling his eyes away from mine. I step into the hallway. He holds the elevator doors open and says, "Go to Aunt Bella's office and introduce yourself. She'll let you know what you have to do."

"Thanks." I turn to leave, but he continues speaking.

"Granger." I look back at him. "Erm, when you're ready to go on lunch break, call me. I'll, uh- I'll go on break with you." He looks at me expectantly.

Without even thinking, I answer, "Sure."

"Good luck." He smiles and lets the elevator doors close. My brain takes the opportunity to finally catch up with my body. I realize that my heart is beating so loudly, I'm sure he could probably hear it from his office upstairs. Planned lunch with Malfoy? Together... We've planned to have lunch together... Well, it's only lunch break. Not a big deal, right? I take a few deep breaths to calm myself down. The fact that I'm about to meet my boss for the first time doesn't help my condition. I force myself to walk toward Bellatrix Lestrange's office. I knock on the door twice.

She calls from within, "Come in." I push the door open and step inside. "Well, hello, deary. You must be Hermione Granger." She smiles up me from her desk. I feel myself relax. She seems nice enough.

"Good morning. It's a pleasure to meet you." I offer her my hand, but instead, she walks around her desk and gives me kisses on both my cheeks.

"Pleasure to meet you as well, my dear. Please, sit." I sit down on one of the chairs and she sits on the arm of the chair next to me. I have to shift my body to face her. "So, Hermione. I can call you Hermione, right?"

"Yes, of course."

"Good, good. If you couldn't tell, I'm not a big fan of formalities. Anyway, Hermione. Let us cover some ground rules." Her tone suddenly turns very serious. "I need you to always do whatever I ask of you, whenever I ask for it. I will not accept anything less than my expectations." Malfoy wasn't kidding about her rigidity. "My current personal assistant is at the very end of her rope as of right now. She's botched way too many of the jobs I've given her. Her bloody pregnancy hormones are making her barmy with all the mood swings and such." So _that's _what Lucius Malfoy meant when he said she was daft. She pauses and tapes a manicured finger to her lips. "I have heard many good things about you, Hermione." She did? From who? "So I have faith that you'll do well. When my personal assistant goes on maternity leave, you'll _temporarily_ take her position." Wait, what? "That won't be for another month and a half, so I'm sure you'll be ready by that time. I'll introduce you to her now." She hops off the chair and walks back around her desk. She presses a button on her office phone and sternly talks into the receiver. "Katie, come in and meet your assistant."

"Yes, ma'am." A voice answers from the speaker. Seconds later, a very pretty and petite woman shuffles into the room. He pregnant tummy makes me smile. "Hello, there. I'm Katie. Nice to meet you." We shake hands.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Hermione Granger."

"So you'll be helping me out around here?" She smiles.

"Yes."

"Wonderful. God knows I need it." She laughs. Bellatrix shakes her head, but smiles anyway.

"Take Hermione to her office and tell her what needs to be done." Katie nods her head. Bellatrix then says to me, "Have a good day."

"You too." Katie leads me to my office, but not before she fetches a stack of folders from her own.

"Okay, so your office is 323. I know it looks a bit drab, but feel free to make it your own." Drab? This office is so much more than what I was expecting. I was right when I noticed the large spaces between each office door. This office is unbelievably large for just one person. There's a long, one-level shelf along the left wall. The desk is large, offering much space for work, and is paired with a comfy leather chair. On top of the desk is a lamp, telephone, and desk organizer. There is a large window directly behind the desk, the blinds drawn up, letting the early morning sunshine in.

She continues, "And this is what you have to do." She drops the folders on my desk with a heavy thud. "I hope you like to read. These are contracts that have been drawn up for several authors. You're going to have to read through all these contracts and match them up with the sample contract I have provided. Keep in mind that each of these contracts has been drawn up especially for each author, so they're not all identical. Check for typing errors and any important clauses that have not been included. Be diligent and thorough. Take notes and mark up the contracts if you find errors. These things need to be perfect before they can be signed. Once you're done with them, you can pass them on to me so I can do a quick double check and request for a reprint if it's necessary."

"Okay."

"Good. It's easy enough when you get the hang of it. Good luck. Let me know if you have any questions. You can contact me by pressing the number two on your office phone."

"Erm, may I ask when I'm allowed to go on lunch break?" I flush a little bit, remembering my plans with Malfoy.

"You're allowed an hour-long break and you can take it anytime between noon and 3:30."

"Thank you." I say as she walks toward the door.

"No, thank _you_." She smiles and nods, closing the door behind her.

I get settled at my desk, placing my purse on the floor and withdrawing a pen from it. I reach across the desk to drag the stack of folders toward me. The folder on top has the word 'SAMPLE' written in block print on it. I flip it open and quickly read through. I find certain clauses and sections have been highlighted. I can only assume that they're important, so I commit them to memory. I open the second folder, which contains the first contract, and get to work.

**Draco's POV**

In the midst of organizing some files, my phone vibrates loudly on my desk. I check my watch and see it's 1:30. I smile and pick up my phone, seeing her name on the caller I.D.

I clear my throat. "Hello?"

"Hi." She answers.

"Hi."

"Have you eaten?" She asks hesitantly.

"I'm pretty sure I said I would have lunch with you."

"Right." She laughs lightly.

"I'll come get you. Give me a few minutes."

"Okay..." She hangs up. I quickly finish organizing the folder I was working on then head down to the third floor. When the elevator doors slide open, I see her leaning on the opposite wall, looking down at her feet. Her hair, that was flowing down freely when I saw her this morning, is now tied up in a neat bun. Locks of hair that have come loose from her up-do fall around her face. I never took her for a businesswoman, but then again, I never really gave her much thought until she returned from the States. In her charcoal gray skirt and light pink blouse, with her hair fashioned that way, she looks like nothing but a businesswoman. A very tasteful businesswoman.

"Gramger." She looks up, mild surprise evident in her eyes. She pushes off the wall and joins me in the elevator. The light scent of vanilla wafts in along with her.

"Hello, how are you?" She says, looking up at me.

"I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'm doing alright." The elevator reaches the second floor and so we enter the dining hall. It's fairly empty, for most people take their lunch breaks at noon. I greet a few people with a nod as they eye Hermione curiously. She doesn't seem to notice their stares because she looks to be very focused on the assortment of food before her. She taps a dainty finger to her pink lips.

"Are you having some trouble deciding, Granger?" I tease.

"I am, actually." She laughs. After a few seconds of watching her eyes flicker up and down the table, she finally picks up a plate and treats herself to some food. I smile, picking up a plate of my own. I follow her to an empty table.

"So how has your day been?" I ask after taking a sip of water.

"It's been going well."

"Bored yet?" I quirk an eyebrow at her.

"Almost." She admits, smiling.

"How was Aunt Bella?"

"I like her so far. She was very welcoming at first, but once she started talking business, she got very stern and serious. Like you said she would. But I honestly can't help but appreciate a person who knows exactly what she wants. I also appreciate how she is a 'no funny business' kind of person. Structure and organization are extremely important in the workplace. It's important anywhere, really. I feel that in order for things to run smoothly, they must be done properly. She seems to share that view."

I see a spark in her eyes as she says all this, reminding me of a young Hermione Granger. As she rambles on and on about hard work and diligence, an uncontrollable smirk fixes itself on my face. She looks at me, noticing that I'm not really paying any attention to her spiel. "Malfoy, what are you smirking at?" She hits my arm with her folded napkin, which causes me to laugh out loud. Her mouth settles into a scowl and I find it so endearing that I want to reach out and smooth her adorably furrowed brow. She crosses her arms and stares at me, her eyes narrowed. "What on Earth is so funny?"

"You haven't changed at all since we were at school together." I grin widely. She flushes pink and soon, we're both laughing.

"Hey, I've changed quite a bit, thank you very much." She points that dainty little finger of hers at me. "For one thing, I don't hate you." A calm silence immediately hovers over us.

"You _have_ changed quite a bit, haven't you." My eyes meet hers.

"So have you." Her voice is soft. She smiles, not with her mouth, but with her eyes. Her round, chocolate brown eyes glow with a sincerity that I have never seen before. And that sincerity is directed at me. Something in my stomach flutters wildly and my entire body warms.

"Things have changed."

"They have. It's funny, really."

"Funny?"

"Yeah. You and I. We're sitting here, having lunch together and we're not yelling at or insulting each other. Four years ago, you would not even consider giving me the time of day." That last statement makes me feel a little ashamed of myself.

"Have I told you that I'm sorry?"

"You have."

"I really am truly sorry. If I could, I'd make it up to you."

She says slyly, "You're an intelligent bloke. I'm sure you'll think of something." I'm sort of taken aback. She smirks. Again, I feel that rush of endearment.

"I'm sure I will." I counter, giving her a smirk of my own. She's not serious, right? Because how on Earth could I make up for years and years of torment? We're just joking around, of course...

**Hermione's POV**

The end of the day comes faster than I thought it would. It takes me an extra half hour to finish the work that Katie gave me. I hoist up the stack of folders and walk down the hallway, careful not to drop anything. I balance the folders in one arm and give a swift knock on her open door.

"You're still here?" Katie asks, surprised. Oh no, did it take me too long to finish?

"Yeah. I just finished this."

"Goodness. I didn't think you'd stay to finish all that." I place the folders on her desk.

I answer honestly, "I couldn't just leave this undone."

"You are a saint, you are." She smiles brightly up at me. I smile back sheepishly and my face reddens in embarrassment.

"You definitely deserve to go home. Thank you so much for getting this done. I'll see you tomorrow. Enjoy your evening, Hermione." I leave her office and knock on Bellatrix's door.

"Mrs. Lestrange?" I stand in the doorway.

"Hello, Hermione. Didn't expect to see you still here."

"Hermione Granger is God-sent, Ms. Bella. She finished everything!" Katie exclaims from her office.

"Did you really?" She looks at me incredulously.

"I did."

"How wonderful. Remind me to thank my nephew for bringing you to us." I nod, feeling a mix of embarrassment and pride. "Heading home now?"

"Yes, I just came to wish you a good evening."

"See you tomorrow, then." She smiles.

When I reach the lobby, the first thing I notice is Malfoy pacing back and forth by the entrance of the building. He's on the phone. I quietly approach Sophia.

She happily greets me, "There you are."

"Here I am?" I say confusedly.

"Mr. Malfoy has been waiting for you."

"What?" My confusion increases exponentially.

"Mhm."

"He hasn't been waiting long, has he?" I look in his direction and he sees me. He nods his head once as a greeting.

"Not long. About ten minutes, probably."

"Do you know why? Does he need to speak with me?"

"He didn't say anything. He just asked me if you had left yet and I told him you hadn't. He just nodded and took a seat." She shrugs. "Lucky you, though. You've only just met and he seems to fancy you already." She says giddily.

"Fancy me? Oh no, no. We've known each other for quite sometime." I stammer, trying to explain.

"Oh? Even more reason to fancy you, then." She giggles. Just as I'm about to scold her for not knowing what she's talking about, Malfoy walks toward us.

"There you are."

"Malfoy, what are you still doing here?"

"I wanted to ask how the rest of your day went."

"You waited for me to ask how the rest of my day went?" Doubt fills my voice.

"Actually, I waited for you to ask if you'd like to go to the café and THEN ask how the rest of your day went."

"The café...?"

"Yeah. Unless, of course, you're busy."

"Oh, um. No I'm not. Sure."

"Okay."

"Okay."

Sophia pipes up, "See you both tomorrow, then." She shoots me a very amused look.

"Goodbye, Sophia." Malfoy says politely and walks to the door.

"Bye, Sophia..." I glace at her once then hurry to catch up with Malfoy. First, lunch break together. Now, we're going to the café... Why?

"Well hello there. Nice seeing you two again." Luke greets us as we sit at my usual table.

"Hi Luke." His eyes flicker between Malfoy and me.

"How have you been? Both of you."

"Um, well I got a job." I answer.

"Did you? That's great. Where?"

"With him." I gesture to Malfoy.

"I see. Well, that's good. And how have you been... Draco, was it?" He turns his attention to Malfoy.

"I've been well, thanks." He says coolly, his face expressionless.

"What can I get you two?"

"Coffee, please." Malfoy responds. I only give Luke a slight smile. There's no need for me to verbalize my order, anyway.

"Be right back with your orders."

"How was the rest of your day?" I ask Malfoy.

"Uneventful for the most part. My father, Michael, and I had a short meeting."

"Michael?"

"His assistant."

"Oh."

"Nothing interesting. Just some dull discussion about a client's paperwork." He exhales loudly.

"Everything alright?" I ask him warily.

"Michael is such a prick." He groans. "He tried to put the blame on me. Again. Said I misfiled the damn paperwork. _Again._ He's been doing this a lot lately. It's maddening. My father needs to hire someone more capable. Or at least someone less insufferable." He runs a hand through his hair.

"Have you talked to your father about it?"

"I've tried. He said Michael is normally never like this. I reckon he's probably being so bloody infuriating because now he has someone to blame for his mistakes. I've no idea why he thinks blaming me is a good idea, but whatever. Eventually, I won't have to deal with him."

"Patience is a virtue."

"Yeah, yeah." He rolls his eyes and chuckles.

"Here you go." Luke appears with our drinks.

"Thanks." I smile. He retreats quickly, which is strange. Normally he likes to stick around to catch up.

"So how was the rest of YOUR day?" Malfoy questions.

"It was okay. I finished all my work."

"Of course you did." He smirks.

"Yeah, yeah." I laugh. "So do you ever really talk to Sophia? Other than when you arrive and when you leave?"

"Not really. Why?"

"She's sweet."

"Well, yeah. I suppose."

"Is she ever allowed a lunch break? Or does she sit there all day..."

"She's allowed. But she normally has her lunch at the desk."

"That's boring..."

"Then why don't you ask her to join us during our lunch break one of these days?" I nod my head in agreement, but then I catch that two-letter word. 'Us'.

"Us?" I ask.

"Yeah, us." He answers absentmindedly, pulling a piece of lint off his pants. He looks up to see me staring in a mild shock. "What's wrong?" I scramble for the words to answer. Is he implying that we're _always _going to have lunch together? He tilts his head to one side, waiting for my response. I bite my lower lip to stop the stupid smile that wants to make its way onto my face.

"Uh, nothing." Smooth. He raises an eyebrow but doesn't say anything else. He lifts his coffee to his lips. I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure he's smiling behind that cup of coffee.

**AN: Weeee Dramione! I had completed this chapter a few days ago, but I never posted it because it was handwritten into one of my notebooks. So I had to type it all out. I'm almost done with the next chapter. I just have to type that one up, too... x_x**


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